The Ermine is an aristocratic branch of the weasel family. His coat of
pure or creamy white is the envy of kings, nobles and judges, whose
robes of state or office etiquette prescribes shall be lined or faced
with this matchless fur. A narrow band of the same is turned up around
the crimson velvet cap worn beneath the British monarch’s crown and the
coronets of peers.
At the coronation of King Edward and Queen Alexandra, which is to
succeed the period of mourning for the late queen, the royal regalia
will be brought into requisition, and in all its magnificent makeup not
the least feature will be the priceless ermine trimming, costing the
life of many a luckless animal. In view, therefore, of his constant
exposure to martyrdom the price the Ermine pays for his social
distinction is dear enough and should excite in his humbler cousins,
even were they disposed to be sensitive on the point of birth, more of
pity than of jealousy.
He dresses in perfection, however, only in winter, and that of the
coldest regions, where the exceeding whiteness of his covering serves
the two-fold purpose of retaining heat and concealing his presence on
the universal carpet of snow, both from the enemies seeking his life and
from the prey on which he subsists.
For a summer outing suit nature provides him an unconventional dress of
light reddish brown varied with a stomacher of tawny white. With the
doffing of his regal attire he also lays aside the distinguished title
of Ermine and becomes plain Mr. Stoat.
This species of the weasel is found throughout Great Britain and in most
parts of continental Europe, but except in northern Scotland,
Scandinavia, and Russia the winters are neither sufficiently long nor
cold to produce a complete change of color and he is left with a funny
piebald coat which no one covets. The skins that supply the markets of
the world all come from the arctic countries of the three northern
continents, Europe, Asia and North America. A permanent feature of the
Ermine’s coat is the glossy black tail tip, which in the preparation of
the fur is inserted at regular intervals on the white, where the sharp
contrast gives a most pleasing effect.
An utter abhorrence of uncleanness is a characteristic instinct of his
lordship, and impels him to suffer capture or death rather than become
soiled or bedraggled. This sentiment of purity is figuratively
transferred to the fur whose use on the garments of rulers and judges
symbolizes the purity of justice and law.
Determination and perseverance are qualities displayed in the pursuit of
game for food, consisting of small herbivorous animals, birds, and eggs.
In length the Ermine’s body is about ten inches; the tail, four inches;
the legs are short, bearing the slender body with a creeping snake-like
motion.