r
scarpment of it that the object appeared that had drawn his attention.
It was a small creature, but it was in motion, and thus had caught his
eye.

A single glance showed him that the little animal was a mouse, but of a
somewhat singular species. It was about the size of the common mouse,
but quite different in colour. The upper half of its body was of a
light mahogany tint, while the lower half, including the legs and feet,
were of a milky whiteness. It was, in fact, the "white-footed mouse"
(_Mus leucopus_), one of the most beautiful of its kind.

Here and there above the surface of the snow protruded the tops of
arbutus-trees; and the little creature was passing from one of these to
the other, in search, no doubt, of the berries that remain upon these
trees all the winter. Sometimes it ran from point to point like any
other mouse, but now and then it would rear itself on its hind-legs, and
leap several feet at a single bound! In this it evidently assisted
itself by pressing its tail--in which it possesses muscular power--
against the snow. This peculiar mode of progression has obtained for it
the name of the "jumping mouse," and among the Indians "deer"-mouse,
because its leap reminds them of the bounding spring of the deer. But
there are still other species of "jumping mice" in America that possess
this power to a greater degree even than the _Mus leucopus_.

Lucien watched its motions without attempting to interfere with it,
until it had got nearly out of sight. He did not desire to do injury to
the little creature, nor was he curious to obtain it, as he had already
met with many specimens, and examined them to his satisfaction. He had
ceased to think of it, and would, perhaps, never have thought of it
again, but, upon turning his eyes in the opposite direction, he observed
another animal upon the snow. This creature had a far different aspect
from the mouse. Its body was nearly a foot in length, although not much
thicker than that of the other! Its legs were short, but strong, and
its forehead broad and arched convexly. It had a tail more than half
the length of the body, hairy, and tapering like that of a cat. Its
form was the well-known form of the weasel, and it was, in fact, a
species of weasel. It was the celebrated _ermine (Mustela erminea_),
celebrated for its soft and beautiful fur, so long prized as an ornament
for the robes of the rich. It was white all over, with the exception of
it