Hi all--
I just found a great, Watership Down sort of book about English weasels
fighting off an invasion of North American mink who had escaped from fur
farms-- It's called Kine, by A.R.  Lloyd, Hamlyn Paperbacks, Middlesex,
England, 1982, ISBN 0 600 20467 7.  I really enjoyed it-- although the
weasel hero doesn't think terribly much of ferrets, there was loads of
familiar mustelid behavior in the book!  The author mentioned in a note at
the end that a friend of his had raised an orphaned weasel, so he had plenty
of opportunity to observe weasel behavior.  That combined with a true
naturalist's eye made this a very enjoyable read.  I also liked that the
minks, although horrid, had reasons for their rotten behavior in their
unnatural captivity in fur farms and their transplantation from their
natural habitat-- as it is in nature, nothing is good or bad, just seeking
to ensure its own survival.  An underlying theme of the book is that humans
need to think before interfering.  A brief quite, if BIG will permit:
'Tchk-kkk-chk,' Kine chattered as he forayed.  'I am small,' he said, 'but
formidable.' ... He was indeed small.  Between questing snout and tip of
tail stretched exactly ten and a half inches of russet topcoat and white
vest.  But he was whip-spare and moved with Will-o'-the-wisp agility.
'Tchk-kkkk-chk.  Let me teach you the steps of the dance of death.'
 
I don't know how widely available this book is outside the UK, but if you
can find it, I recommend it highly!
 
Regina and the two Dandy Hounds
 
*********************************************
Regina Harrison
PhD Student, Anthropology
Joint Co-ordinator, AGSEM-- McGill's TA union
McGill University
Montreal, Quebec
"If that's all there is, my friends, then let's keep dancing" --Peggie Lee
[Posted in FML issue 1751]