See also:

• WEASEL (Putorius nivalis)

WEASEL (Putorius nivalis)  , the smallest See also:

• EUROPEAN

European See also:

• SPECIES

species of the See also:

• GROUP

group of mammals of which the See also:

• POLECAT

polecat and stoat are well-known members (see See also:

• CARNIVORA

CARNIVORA) . The See also:

• WEASEL (Putorius nivalis)

weasel is an elegant little See also:

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

animal, with elongated slender See also:

• BODY

body, back much arched, See also:

• HEAD (in 0. Eng. heafad; the word is common to Teutonic languages; cf. Dutch hoofd, Ger. Haupt, generally taken to be in origin connected with Lat. caput, Gr. KerbOvi7)
• HEAD, SIR EDMUND WALKER, BART
• HEAD, SIR FRANCIS BOND, BART

head small and flattened, ears See also:

• SHORT, FRANCIS JOB (1857– )

short and rounded, See also:

• NECK (O. Eng. hnecca; the word appears in many Teutonic languages; cf. Dutch ride, Ger. Nacken; in O. E. the common word was heals; cf. Ger. Hals)

neck See also:

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

long and flexible, limbs short, five toes on each See also:

• FOOT

foot, all with See also:

• SHARP, GRANVILLE (1735-1813)
• SHARP, JAMES (1618-1679)
• SHARP, JOHN (1645-1714)
• SHARP, RICHARD (1759-1835)
• SHARP, WILLIAM (1749-1824)
• SHARP, WILLIAM (1856-1905)

sharp, compressed, curved claws, tail rather short, slender, cylindrical, and pointed at the tip, and See also:

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

fur short and See also:

• CLOSE
• CLOSE (from Lat. clausum, shut)
• CLOSE, MAXWELL HENRY (1822-1903)

close . The upper-parts, out-See also:

• SIDE
• SIDE (mod. Eski Adalia)

side of limbs and tail, are See also:

• UNIFORM

uniform 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, the under-parts 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 . In See also:

• COLD (in O. Eng. cald and ceald, a word coming ultimately from a root cognate with the Lat. gelu, gelidus, and common in the Teutonic languages, which usually have two distinct forms for the substantive and the adjective, cf. Ger. Kolte, kalt, Dutch koude

cold regions the weasel turns white in See also:

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

winter, but less regularly and only at a See also:

• LOWER

lower temperature than the stoat or See also:

• ERMINE

ermine, from which it is distinguished by its smaller See also:

• SIZE

size and the See also:

• ABSENCE (Lat. absentia)

absence of the See also:

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

black tail-tip . The length of the head and body of the male is usually about 8 in., that of the tail 2; in.; the See also:

• FEMALE

female is smaller . The weasel is generally distributed through-out See also:

• EUROPE

Europe and See also:

• NORTHERN

Northern and Central See also:

• ASIA

Asia; and is represented by a closely allied animal in See also:

• NORTH
• NORTH, BARONS
• NORTH, MARIANNE (1830—1890)
• NORTH, ROGER (1653-1734)
• NORTH, SIR THOMAS (1535?-16o1?)

North See also:

• AMERICA

America . It possesses all the active, courageous and bloodthirsty disposition of the See also:

• REST (O. Eng. rest, reste, bed, cognate with other Teutonic forms, e.g. Ger. Rast, Riiste, rest, and probably Gothic Rasta, league, i.e. resting or stopping place)

rest of the genus, but its diminutive size prevents it attacking and destroying any but the smaller mammals and birds . Mice, rats, See also:

• WATER

water-rats and moles, as well as frogs, constitute its See also:

• PRINCIPAL

principal See also:

• FOOD
• FOOD (like the verb " to feed," from a Teutonic root, whence O. Eng. foda; cf. " fodder "; connected with Gr. lrareicOae, to feed)

food . It is generally found on or near the See also:

• SURFACE

surface of the ground, but it can not only pursue its See also:

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

prey through holes and crevices of rocks and under dense tangled herbage, but follow it up the stems and branches of trees, or even into the water, See also:

• SWIMMING (from " swim," A.S. swimman, the root being common in Teutonic languages)

swimming with perfect ease . It constructs a See also:

• NEST

nest of dried leaves and herbage, placed in a hole in the ground or a See also:

• BANK

bank or hollow See also:

• TREE (0. Eng. treo, treow, cf. Dan. tree, Swed. Odd, tree, trd, timber; allied forms are found in Russ. drevo, Gr. opus, oak, and 36pv, spear, Welsh derw, Irish darog, oak, and Skr. dare, wood)
• TREE, SIR HERBERT BEERBOHM (1853- )

tree, The Weasel (Putorius nivalis) . in which it brings up its See also:

• LITTER (through O. Fr. litere or litiere, mod. litiere from Med. Lat. lectaria, classical lectica, lectus, bed, couch)

litter of four to six (usually 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 . The See also:

• MOTHER

mother will defend her young with the utmost desperation against any assailant, and has been known to See also:

• SACRIFICE (from Lat. sacrificium; sacer, holy, and facere, to make)

sacrifice her own See also:

• LIFE

life rather than See also:

• DESERT

desert them .

(R .