Page:The Zoologist, 4th series, vol 2 (1898).djvu/225



February 3rd, 1898, I examined a female Stoat in the flesh, which had been killed in this neighbourhood the day before, and was nearly white. That is to say, it was white, with the exception of the crown of the head, a space round the eyes, and a stripe down the back of the neck—the black part of the tail of course excepted. It closely resembled one figured in 'The Field,' February 20th, 1897. As long ago as 1884 I called attention in 'The Zoologist' to the fact that Stoats turned white in mild winters, with reference to that of 1883–4 (Zool. 1884, p. 112). I then mentioned an example killed on January 19th, 1884, which was white, with the exception of a (chance) narrow light brown mark on the near fore leg. Also another, white, save for a dark patch on the crown of the head. The change is not universal in all the individual Stoats in a given locality. For on the day I handled the above-mentioned white one (four days after it was captured) I saw a specimen in the flesh which did not show a sign of white on the upper parts. In the winter of 1895–6 I received information of two partly white Stoats, one pied, the other white, with the exception of the head. In the mild winter of 1881–2 I observed that the change took place in some examples. But white, or partly white, Stoats are naturally far more common in severe winters. After the hard winter of 1890-1, I saw and Zool. 4th ser. vol. II., May, 1898.