Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume VI.djvu/729

 ERMINE benefactor to the agriculturist by killing the mice which devour his grain, potatoes, and grasses ; it will soon rid a granary of the largest rats, and a field of the wheat-loving ground squirrels. It is not shy, and has been so far domesticated as to be employed like the ferret of Europe in hunting hares; it is easily taken in any kind of trap. It is not common any- where ; it prefers stony regions, and is solitary and nocturnal in its habits, though occasionally seen at all hours of the day. It is a poor swim- mer and avoids water, and rarely ascends trees except when pursued. The young, from four to seven in number, are born between the last of March and the last of May, according to latitude. The coat is shed twice a year, in Oc- tober and March, the autumn fur becoming white, and the spring brown. According to Prof. Baird, this species cannot certainly be traced N. of Massachusetts nor W. of Wiscon- sin ; it has been taken at Fort Smith, Ark., and probably is found in most of the southern and southwestern states at a distance from the sea- coast. The most striking differences between this and the European ermine are, that in the latter the caudal vertebrae are only a quarter the length of the head and body, the terminal hairs being nearly two thirds of their length, or from If to 2 in. ; while in the former these vertebras are nearly half the length of the body, the hairs' being only about a quarter of their length, or not more than 1 m - 5 i n our species the ears and naked portion of the nose are larger ; the coloration also differs in the much greater extension of the light colors on the lower parts and inside of the limbs in the Euro- pean animal, and in the greater comparative .extent of the black tip to the tail; there are 4 sacral and 21 caudal vertebrae in our ermine, and only 3 of the former and 19 of the latter in the European. The little ermine (P. Richard- sonii, Bonap., or P. agilis, Aud. and Bach.), which replaces the preceding species north _of Massachusetts, is from 8 to 9 in. long, exclusive of the tail, which is slightly more than 5 in. ; the color in summer is dark chestnut brown above and whitish below, with the whole up- per jaw brown, and the end of tail black one third to nearly one half of its length ; in win- ter white with a black-tipped tail. It is smaller and darker, with more slender and delicate feet, than the preceding species; its geographical distribution is from 65 N. to Massachusetts on the E. and Vancouver island on the W. coast. The long-tailed ermine (P. longicauda, Rich.) approaches the ferrets in size, being about 11 in. long exclusive of the tail, which is 6 to 7 in.; the color in summer is light olivaceous brown above, and brownish yellow below, with the chin and edge of upper lip white ; in winter white, with a black-tipped tail ; the muzzle is broad, the hair short, coarse, and stiff, and the ears low and short; the feet are large, with well developed claws. It is found about the upper Missouri and Platte rivers. The least ermine (P. Cicognanii, Bonap., or P. fuscus, ERNEST AUGUSTUS 717 Aud. and Bach.) has an average length of 8 in., with a tail of 3 or 4 in. ; the colors are as in the other species in summer and winter ; the edge of the upper lip is white ; it is found from Labrador to Massachusetts, and as far west as Puget's sound. Kane's ermine (P. Kaneii, Baird) is about 8 in. long, with a tail of 4 in. ; it seems a miniature of the European species, and is found in Siberia and the vicinity of Behring strait. ERNE, Longh, a lake of Ireland, county Fer- managh, consisting of two sheets of water, called the upper and lower lakes, connected by a narrow winding channel. It is fed by the river Erne, which, rising in Lough Gowna, flows N". through county Cavan, and expands near Crum into the upper lake. This is about 12 m. long, from 2 to 2 m. wide in its broadest part, and has a general depth of 20 ft., although in some places it is 75 ft. deep. There are 90 small islands in it, and the shores are gene- rally low and marshy. The lower or northern northerly lake is 20 m. long, from 2 m. to 5 m. wide, and has a depth in some places of 225 ft. It contains 28,000 acres, and has 109 islets; Boa island, the largest, near the N. end, con- tains 1,300 acres. Both lakes abound with fish. The town of Enniskillen is partly situ- ated on an island in the connecting channel, and there are a number of handsome residences and some well preserved ruins along its banks. The river leaves the N". end of the lower lake, and after a course of 8 m. empties into Done- gal bay. ERNEST AUGUSTUS, king of Hanover, fifth son of George III. of England, born June 5, 1771, died Nov. 18, 1851. He was for many years a member of the British house of lords as duke of Cumberland, and was a field mar- shal in the British army. Against the desire of his mother, he married in 1815 Frederica Caroline of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, widow of Prince Louis of Prussia and of the prince of Solms-Braunfels. The grant which he asked from parliament on occasion of his marriage not being accorded to him, he took up his resi- dence in Germany, but returned to England in 1829 to vote against the Catholic emanci- pation bill, although it was proposed by his former political friend, the duke of Welling- ton. He again applied to parliament for money, for the education of his son George Frederick ; but as it was only granted under condition that the young prince should be in- structed in England and in the spirit of Eng- lish institutions, he was compelled to remove his family from Germany. Grave imputations upon his private character, and his unbending opposition to all popular reforms, combined to make his residence in England as disagreeable to himself as it was hateful to the people. On the death of William IV. (June 20, 1837) the crown of Great Britain devolved on Queen Victoria, and the succession to the throne of Hanover being limited to the male line, the two countries were separated, and the duke