ERMINE  , an alternative name for the stoat (Putorius ermineus), apparently applicable in its proper sense only when the See also:

• ANIMAL
• ANIMAL (Lat. animalis, from anima, breath, soul)

animal is in its See also:

• WHITE
• WHITE, ANDREW DICKSON (1832– )
• WHITE, GILBERT (1720–1793)
• WHITE, HENRY KIRKE (1785-1806)
• WHITE, HUGH LAWSON (1773-1840)
• WHITE, JOSEPH BLANCO (1775-1841)
• WHITE, RICHARD GRANT (1822-1885)
• WHITE, ROBERT (1645-1704)
• WHITE, SIR GEORGE STUART (1835– )
• WHITE, SIR THOMAS (1492-1567)
• WHITE, SIR WILLIAM ARTHUR (1824--1891)
• WHITE, SIR WILLIAM HENRY (1845– )
• WHITE, THOMAS (1628-1698)
• WHITE, THOMAS (c. 1550-1624)

white See also:

• WINTER, JOHN STRANGE
• WINTER, PETER (c. 1755-1825)

winter coat . This animal See also:

• MEASURES

measures See also:

• LOIN (through O. Fr. loigne or logne, mod. lunge, from Lat. Iambus)

loin. in length exclusive of the tail, which is about 4 in. See also:

• LONG, GEORGE (1800-1879)
• LONG, JOHN DAVIS (1838– )

long, and becomes bushy towards the point . The See also:

• FUR (connected with O. Fr. forre, a sheath or case; so " an outer covering ")

fur in summer is reddish See also:

• BROWN
• BROWN, CHARLES BROCKDEN (1771-181o)
• BROWN, FORD MADOX (1821-1893)
• BROWN, FRANCIS (1849- )
• BROWN, GEORGE (1818-188o)
• BROWN, HENRY KIRKE (1814-1886)
• BROWN, JACOB (1775–1828)
• BROWN, JOHN (1715–1766)
• BROWN, JOHN (1722-1787)
• BROWN, JOHN (1735–1788)
• BROWN, JOHN (1784–1858)
• BROWN, JOHN (1800-1859)
• BROWN, JOHN (1810—1882)
• BROWN, JOHN GEORGE (1831— )
• BROWN, ROBERT (1773-1858)
• BROWN, SAMUEL MORISON (1817—1856)
• BROWN, SIR GEORGE (1790-1865)
• BROWN, SIR JOHN (1816-1896)
• BROWN, SIR WILLIAM, BART
• BROWN, THOMAS (1663-1704)
• BROWN, THOMAS (1778-1820)
• BROWN, THOMAS EDWARD (1830-1897)
• BROWN, WILLIAM LAURENCE (1755–1830)

brown above and white beneath, changing in the winter of See also:

• NORTHERN

northern latitudes to snowy whiteness, except at the tip of the tail, which at all seasons is See also:

• BLACK
• BLACK, ADAM (1784-1874)
• BLACK, JEREMIAH SULLIVAN (1810–1883)
• BLACK, WILLIAM (1841-1898)

black . In Scottish specimens this See also:

• CHANGE (derived through the Fr. from the Late Lat. cambium, cambiare, to barter; the ultimate derivation is probably from the root which appears in the Gr. «a urmu', to bend)

change in winter is See also:

• COMPLETE

complete, but in those found in the See also:

• SOUTHERN

southern districts of See also:

• ENGLAND
• ENGLAND, THE CHURCH OF

England it is usually only partial, the ermine presenting during winter a piebald See also:

• APPEARANCE (from Lat. apparere, to appear)

appearance . The white See also:

• COLOUR (Lat. color, connected with celare, to hide, the root meaning, therefore, being that of a covering)

colour is evidently protective, enabling the animals to elude the observations of their enemies, and to steal unobserved on their See also:

• PREY (0. Fr. preie, mod. proie, Lat. praeda, booty, from prae and the root hed—seen in prehendere, prendere, to grasp)

prey . It also retains See also:

• HEAT (0. E. haktu, which like " hot," Old Eng. hat, is from the Teutonic type haita, hit, to be hot; cf. Ger. hitze, heiss; Dutch, hitte, heet, &c.)

heat better than a dark covering, and may thus serve to maintain an equable temperature at all See also:

• SEA (in O. Eng. sae, a common Teutonic word; cf. Ger. See, Dutch Zee, &c.; the ultimate source is uncertain)
• SEA, COMMAND OF THE

sea- % sons within the See also:

• BODY

body . The colour change seems to be due to phagocytes devouring the pigment- = bodies of the See also:

• HAIR (a word common to Teutonic languages)

hair, and not to a See also:

• MOULT

moult . The See also:

• SPECIES

species is a native --= -_ of the temperate and Ermine or Stoat (Putorius ermineus), subarctic zones of the Old See also:

• WORLD

World, and is repre- sented in See also:

• AMERICA

America by a See also:

• FORM (Lat. forma)

form which can ,carcely be regarded as specifically distinct . It inhabits thickets and stony places, and frequently makes use of the deserted burrows of" moles and other underground mammals . Exceedingly sanguinary in disposition, and agile in its movements, it feeds principally on rats, See also:

• WATER

water-rats and rabbits, which it pursues with pertinacity and boldness, hence the name stoat, signifying bold, by which it is commonly known . It takes readily to water, and will even climb trees in pursuit of prey . It is. particularly destructive to poultry and See also:

• GAME

game, and has often been known to attack See also:

• HARES

hares, fixing itself to the See also:

• THROAT (O. Eng. protu, prote or }Prota, possibly from preotan, to press, whence threat, or, with loss of initial s, connected with strut, to swell)

throat of its victim, and defying all the efforts of the latter to disengage it .

The See also:

• FEMALE

female brings forth five See also:

• YOUNG
• YOUNG, A
• YOUNG, ARTHUR (1741-1820)
• YOUNG, BRIGHAM (1801-1877)
• YOUNG, CHARLES MAYNE (1777–1856)
• YOUNG, EDWARD (1683–1765)
• YOUNG, JAMES (1811-1883)
• YOUNG, THOMAS (1773-1829)

young ones about the beginning of summer . The winter coat of the ermine forms one of the most valuable of commercial furs, and is imported in enormous quantities from See also:

• NORWAY
• NORWAY (Norge)

Norway, See also:

• SWEDEN
• SWEDEN [Sverige]
• SWEDEN, NORWAY AND

Sweden, See also:

• RUSSIA
• RUSSIA (Rossiya)

Russia and See also:

• SIBERIA

Siberia . It is largely used for muffs and tippets, and as a trimming for See also:

• STATE
• STATE, GREAT OFFICERS OF

state See also:

• ROBES (Fr. robe, Late Lat. roba, raupa, meaning (1)

robes, the See also:

• JET (Fr. jais, Ger. Gagat)

jet black points of the tails being inserted at See also:

• REGULAR

regular intervals as an See also:

• ORNAMENT (Lat. ornare, to adorn)

ornament . In the reign of See also:

• EDWARD

Edward III. the wearing of ermine was restricted to members of the royal See also:

• FAMILY

family; but it now enters into almost all state robes, the See also:

• RANK (O.Fr. rant or rent, mod. rang, generally connected with the O.E. and O.H.G. bring, a ring)

rank and position of the wearer being in many cases indicated by the presence or See also:

• ABSENCE (Lat. absentia)

absence, and the disposition, of the black spots .