The Lexington intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1901-1949, 1910-07-09
THE WEASEL.
4 Formidable Foe to Animals q Hun
dred Times Its Size.

ored Times Its Size.
The weasel is about six inches in
length from tip 10 tip, which seems
very great compared with the
height Of the animal, which is not
above an inch and a half. The wolf
is not above one and a half times as
long as be is high, while the weasel
is nearly five tunes as long, an
amazing di,proportion. The tail
also, which is bushy, is generally
two inches long and adds to the APP
parent length of the body.
The color Of the weasel is a light
brown on the back and sides, but
white under the throat and belly.
The ewes are little and black. The
ears are short, broad and roundish
and have a fold at the lower part,
which makes them look as if they
were double. Beneath the corners
Of the mouth on each jaw is a spot
of brown.
This animal, though diminutive
in appearance, is nevertheless a
very formidable enemy to quadru-
peds a hundred times its own size.
When kept in a cage it will not
touch its food while anybody looks
on, 1t keeps in a continual agita-
ton and seems frightened so much
at the sight of mankind that it will
die if not permitted to hide itself.
For this purpose, says Fur News,
it must be provided in its cage with
a sufficient quantity of wool or hay
in which it may conceal itself and
where it may carry whatever it has
to eat. In this state it is seen to
pass three parts of the day in sleep
ing and reserves the night for its
exercise and eating.
In its wild state the night is like
wise the time during which it may
be said to live. AT the approach of
evening it is seen stealing from its
hole and creeping about the farm
er's yard for its prey. If it enters
the place where poultry is kept it
never attacks the cocks or the old
hens, but Immediately goes after
the young ones. Generally it merely
sucks the blood of the victim.
1t is remarkably active, and in a
confined place scarce any animal
can escape it. 1t will run up the
sides of the walls with such facility
that no place is secure from it. It's
body is so small that there is scarce
any hole but that it can wind
through. During the summer its
excursions are extensive, but in the
winter it chiefly confines itself to
barns and farmyards, where it re-
mains till spring and where it
brings forth its young.
All this season it makes war upon
rats and mice with still greater sue
cess than the cat, for being more
active and slender it pursues them
into their holes and after a short re-
sistance destroys them. 1t creeps
also into pigeon holes, destroys the
young, catches sparrows and all
kinds of young birds, and if it has
brought forth its young hunts with
still greater boldness and avidity.
In summer it ventures farther from
the house ard particularly goes into
those places where the rat, its chief
prey, goes before it.
The female takes every precau-
ton to make an easy bed for her
little ones and lines the bottom of
her hole with grass, hay, leaves and
moss and generally brings forth
three to five to a litter. The weasel,
like others Of its kind, does not run
on equally. but moves by bounding,
and when it climbs a tree by a sin
gle spring it gets a good way from
Tho ground. 1t jumps in the same
manner upon its prey and, having
an extremely timber body, evades
the attmpts of much stronger ami