THE WEASEL. 49

are pale brown, the under parts white; the eyes are small
and black. It is very generally distributed over the cold
and temperate regions of the world, and is remarkably agile
in its movements, possessing an extraordinary degree of
flexibility, which enables it to make its way through an
almost incredibly small space. The weasel lives on small
animals, leverets, young rabbits, mice, &., seizing its prey
by the neck, when its bite very speedily causes death: it
then sucks the blood, and keeps the flesh till it has become
sufficiently “high” for its taste. The female makes a bed
of leaves and moss for her brood, feeding them with fresh
eggs and small animals; she has only one litter in the year.

This little creature is very bold for its small size, and
often attacks animals much larger than itself. The fol-
lowing curious story is told of one in Scotland, by Mrs.
Lee, in her useful ‘Elements of Natural History.’ “An
eagle was seen by some haymakers, rising in the air with a
peculiar flight; he flapped his wings with violence, as if
much alarmed and agitated, and rapidly ascended; in a
short time, however, he descended with still greater ra-
pidity, tumbling down like a shot bird. When he reached
the earth, the party observing him ran to ascertain the cause
of this occurrence, when a large weasel ran from the body,

EB