But besides these, there are others, such as are the _Sables_ which _Olaus Magnus_ calls _Zabelli_, their skins _Johnston_ in his History of Animals commends. _Olaus_ saith that their skins were made use of by the _Lapland_ Women, especially by the Brides to adorn themselves with them; and that there is but small plenty of them in these parts. Some make this beast like a weezel, others especially _Scaliger_ like the Martin, and indeed he seems to be in the right both to the bulk and shape of it. Their color the nearer it comes to black is the more esteemed. There are found several all white, such as we have often seen the _Muscovian_ Embassadors bring over to the King for a most singular present. By which _Adamus Bremensis_ in his _Scandinavia_ seems to have understood white Martins. There are also Ermins which are found only among the _Laplanders_. _Jovius_ first wrote of them that they were good exchange for any sort of Merchandize. These Ermins are nothing but white weezels having the end of their tails black, _Johnston_ takes notice thereof out of _Albertus Magnus_, he calleth the beast _Erminius_, which is the same thing with _Armelinus_ and _Hermelinus_, differing neither in bigness nor nature from the weezel, the color argues nothing, for he has that only in Winter, but in Summer is of a bright yellow. It is as greedy of Mice as the Weezels are, whence the _Sweeds_ call it _Lekat_. I am unwilling to call it with _Scaliger_ a _Swedland_ Mouce. Among these I had rather reckon a little sort of beast which they call _Lemmus_, which _Olaus Magnus_ saith the Ermins feed on, _Samuel Rheen_ speaks of a sort of Mice found in Lapland which they call Mountain Mice or _Lemblar_, which _Wormius_ describes with short tails and staring hair, and not unlike a Mouce. I will speak little of their color, which _Olaus_ saies is various, _Samuel Rheen_ affirms it red, who observes too that they come of a sudden, and cover the ground with their multitude. _Olaus_ observes that this is alwaies in stormy weather, and thinks that it rains these creatures, but is all together in a doubt, whether they are brought thither by the Winds, or bred in the clouds. _Wormius_ thinks plainly that they are bred in the clouds: but the learned _Isaac Vossius_ in his notes to _Pomponius Mela_ corrects him, and saies the reason why these animals are supposed to fall from the Clouds is because they use not to appear, but immediatly after rain they creep out of their holes, either for that they are fill’d with water, or because this creature thrives much in rain, which opinion seems most probable to me. These creatures are very bold, never making their escape when Passengers come by, but keep on their way, and make a noise like the barking of a dog: they fear neither club nor sword, but if any one strike at them, they turn again and bite. It is observable in them that they never go near or do any mischeif in any hut, sometimes they set upon one another, being divided as it were into two armies, this the _Laplanders_ take to be an omen of future war in _Swedland_, and gather whence the enemy will come, by observing whence those animals first moved that provoked the rest. These creatures have their enemies too, first the Ermines as I mentioned before, then the Foxes, which bring a great number of these into their holes: hence the _Laplanders_ have no small disadvantage, for the Foxes using this sort of food most, regard not the baits which they lay to catch them. Thirdly the Rain-deers devour them, and lastly the dogs which eat only the fore part of them. These creatures never live, if they chance to eat any herb grown after they had tasted it before: sometimes they perish otherwise, as being choaked in the Hedges or dropping into Water. The last sort of beasts are hares, which are esteemed for their white skin, especially in the winter, at which time they are as white as the Foxes; they change their color every year, alwaies turning white towards this season; for which tho many reasons may be given, I think this is most considerable, that Nature and Providence designed it, least when the ground was quite cover’d with Snow, their color might easily discover them, and they being equally oppressed by man and beast should be quite destroy’d. For which reason too, probably some birds at that time are White. _Olaus Magnus_ testifies the same of hares, that immediatly after Autumn they begin to grow white, and at that time are frequently taken half white and half not, but in the midst of the Winter they are all white as before.