Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 20.djvu/455

* WEARING OF THE GREEN. 381 WEATHER. play Anah na I'orjue. See Tandy, James NaI'PER. WEASEL (AS. wcsle, OHG. wisula, Ger. IVi'cic/, wciisel : of uncertain etymology, perhaps aUin to Gk. ofXoi'pos, ailotiros, cat, weasel; pos- sibly connected, in nlliision to its habitat, with OHG. irisa, Ger. H'lcsf, meadow, AS. tras, mois- ture, or, in allusion to its odor, with OHG. vcnaiu'ii, to become foul, Lat. virus, Gk. I6i, ios, Skt. visa, poison). One ol the small, slender carnivores of the family jMustelida;, tyjiical of the genus Putorius. The name was first applied to the small European I'uiorius vulgaris, noted for its constant pursuit of moles and field-mice (voles), other European species being known as polecats (q.v.) and stoats. The latter animal {Putorius erminea) turns white in winter in northern localities, and its fur is 'ermine' (q.v.). In North America arc several species or varieties of weasels, all confusingly similar to one another and to Hie European ones. The one most familiar is the long-tailed or New York weasel {I'utorius novehoraccusis) of the Eastern States, the male of which is sixteen inches long, but the female only thir- teen inches, more than one-third of which be- longs to the tail. It is dark clioeolate-brown above and white beneath, with the end of the tail black. This stoat-like weasel turns pure white in winter wherever the climate is cold and snowy, except (as in all other species) for the black tip of the tail. A smaller species, much more widely distributed through the Northern United States and Canada, is the short-tailed, or Bonaparte's weasel (Putorius Cicognani), the male and female measuring eleven and nine inches respectively, of which the tail takes less than a quarter; its brown is darker and its white rafher yellowish. This is the one which supplies most of the ermine pro- cured in British America in winter, although the Arctic 'least' weasel (Putorius rixusus) sup- plies some. This last species is only six inches long. Another 'least' weasel (Putorius Alle- ghaniensis) dwells in the Western Alleghanies; while Florida and Texas have large species that never turn white. For various other species and subspecies, consult Elliot. Synopsis of the Mammals of North America (Chicago, 1901). The disposition and habits of all weasels are alike. It is a slim, lithe, swift, wiiscular, ferocious little beast, diligent and persevering in pursuit of prey, and alert and clever in escaping its enemies — chiefly hawks and owls. It is an admirable hunter, and its scent is as keen as its sight. It quarters the ground like a dog, and wearies out animals larger and apparently much stronger than itself. It preys on mice, rats, birds, and other small animals, sometimes even on hares and rabbits, robs birds' nests, devouring the young birds or sucking the eggs, and is often troulilesome in poultry yards. On the other hand, it does great good by devouring field-mice and the vermin about barns and granaries. It climbs walls and trees with great agility, and iloes not hesitate to plunge into water in pursuit of the water-rat. It sometimes begins by abstracting the blood of the animal which it has killed, and generally devours the brain ; but when food is abundant, it carries the body to its retreat, where a considerable quantity of prey is often found, the weasel continuing to eat it in a half-putrefied state. It is one of the few animals that ap- parently kill for the love of killing, or at least this characteriiitic is suggested by the slaughter it will sometimes work in a ]ioultry yard, and the fact that many of the chickens killed are left imtouclied, and seemingly without even hav- ing had their blood sucked. The weasel generally sleeps during the day, ami is most active at night. It has a disagreeable smell, which is strongest in hot weather, or when it has been pursued or irritated. It is capable of being tamed when taken young, and becomes docile and gentle. The female weasel makes a nest of straw, leaves, an<l muss for her young, which are pro- duced in S])ring, four or five in a litter, often in a crevice of a bank, or in a hollow tree. See FukBearing Animals, and the bibliography and references there given. WEATHER (AS. rceder, OHG. tcetar, Gcr- Wetter, weather; connected with OChurch Slav. vcdro, good weather, vedru, clear, bright, Skt. v&, to blow). The condition of the atmosphere at any time in respect of temperature, moisture, precipitation, sunshine, wind, electricity, dust, or any other meteorological element. The study of weather is of fundamental importance to man- kind, and has always received great attention, especiallj' because of the desire to anticipate or predict approaching important changes in the weather. The weather bui'eau (q.v.) or meteor- ological olfice, as now established in every civi- lized nation of the glolie, represents the latest practical application of physical science to the needs of mankind; its primary duty is to pre- serve and study the records of local weather in order to make satisfactory local forecasts. Modern physical meteorology with its elaborate weather records may be said to have begun in Ui53, when Ferdinand II., Grand Duke of Tus- can}', distributed thermometers to several clois- ters in Italy and organized a system of d.aily records under the general oversight of Father Luigi Antinori. In 1057 barometers, wind- vanes, and hygrometers were added to the equip- ment of these stations. Continuous automatic records of the individual features of the weather probably began in England between 1666 and 1670, with the Moreland barometer and other apparatus devised by a special committee of the Royal Society, of which Sir Cliristopher Wren was chairman. A great advance has been made in meteorology since the 'great exhibition' or 'World's Fair' of 1851 at London, when for the first time the items appropriate to the weather map were telegraphed for display upon charts. At the present time similar da-ily weather maps are compiled by all nations so that the student quickly acquires a comprehensive view of the conditions existing in any part of the world. In 1873 the United States Weather Bureau, then a part of the Signal Service of the army, commenced the formation of "a daily weather map of the whole Northern Hemispliere, which was published continuously from 1875 to 1883, inclusive, and was kept up in manuscript for ten years later. This gigantic undertaking included observations from the ocean as well as the land, and only by the use of similar maps can we hope to ■ understand and predict changes of the weather in distant parts of the globe. In order to make satisfijctory predictions of the monsoon rains in India, a daily weather map of the Indian Ocean,