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CHAPTER 7
Power, Politics, and Leadership

The purpose of this chapter is to provide readers with new insights into power and politics so that they
can make better use of power and politics and thus lead others effectively. Chapter 8 is a continuation
of this topic, but with a description of various influence tactics.

CHAPTER OUTLINE AND LECTURE NOTES

To function effectively, leaders must use power effectively, including applying political tactics to
acquire and retain power.
I. SOURCES AND TYPES OF POWER
To exercise influence, a leader must have power, the potential or ability to influence decisions and
control resources.
A. Position Power

A standard method of classifying power is based on whether the power stems from the
organization or the individual.
1. Legitimate Power. Power granted by the organization is referred to as legitimate
power. This power increases as one moves up the organization ladder.

2. Reward Power. The authority to give employees rewards for compliance is referred to
as reward power.

3. Coercive Power. The power to punish for noncompliance is referred to as coercive

power. It is based on fear.

4. Information Power. Having formal control over information that people need to do
their work is referred to as information power.

B. Personal Power

Three sources of power stem from characteristics or behaviors of the power actor: expert
power, referent power, and prestige power. All are classified as personal power because
they are derived from the person rather than the organization. Prestige power is the power
stemming from one’s status and reputation.
C. Power Stemming from Ownership

The strength of ownership power depends on how closely the owner is linked to
shareholders and board members. A leader’s ownership power is also associated with how
much money he or she has invested in the firm. The CEOs of high-technology firms are

Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

60 Chapter 7: Power, Politics, and Leadership

typically company founders. The New Golden Rule applies: The person who holds the gold,
rules.
D. Power Stemming from Dependencies

According to the dependence perspective, a person accrues power by others being

dependent on him or her for things they value. Dependence can be positional or personal.
Richard M. Emerson noted that power resides implicitly in the other’s dependence.
According to the resource dependence perspective, the organization requires a continuing
flow of human resources, money, customers and clients, technological inputs, and materials
if it is to continue to function. Organizational subunits, or individuals who can provide these
key resources, accrue power from this ability. Losing power to control resources leads to a
decline in power.
E. Power Derived from Capitalizing on Opportunity

Power can be derived from being at the right place at the right time and taking appropriate
action. You also need to have the right resources to capitalize on the opportunity. Go where
the action is to capitalize on opportunity power.
F. Power Stemming from Managing Critical Problems

The strategic contingency theory of power suggests that those units best able to cope with
the firm’s critical problems and uncertainties acquire relatively large amounts of power.
Also, a subunit acquires power by virtue of its centrality, how much its activities are linked
into the system of organizational activities.
G. Power Stemming from Being Close to Power

The closer a person is to power, the greater the power he or she exerts. Likewise, the higher
a unit reports in a firm’s hierarchy, the more power it possesses.
Robert A. Caro reminds us that acquiring power alone does not make for great leadership.
Creating and implementing a useful vision is also required.
II. TACTICS FOR BECOMING AN EMPOWERING LEADER

It is paradoxically true that power and influence increase when the leader shares power with
others. As team members receive more power, they can accomplish more. Because the manager
shares credit for their accomplishments, the manager becomes more powerful. To empower others
is to be perceived as an influential person. In a competitive environment increasingly dependent
on knowledge, the most successful organizations will be those that effectively use the talents of all
players on the team.
An advantage of empowerment from a cost perspective is that empowering workers to assume
more managerial responsibility enables the organization to get by with fewer bosses. Using
technology to communicate and help monitor work can also reduce the span of control.
A. The Nature of Empowerment

Empowerment refers to passing decision-making responsibility from managers to group

members. One study identified four components of empowerment. Meaning is the value of a

Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

 Chapter 7: Power, Politics, and Leadership 61

work goal evaluated in relation to a person’s ideals or standards. A person doing meaningful
work is likely to feel empowered. Competence, or self-efficacy, is an individual’s belief in
his or her capability to perform a particular task well. Self-determination is an individual’s
feeling of having a choice in initiating and regulating actions. Choosing a method to solve a
problem leads to a high level of self-determination. Impact is the degree to which the worker
can influence strategic, administrative, or operating outcomes on the job. A fifth dimension
is internal commitment toward work goals.
B. Empowering Practices

The practices that foster empowerment supplement standard approaches to participative

management such as conferring with group members before reaching a decision. Specific
empowering practices are described below.
1. Foster Initiative and Responsibility. Encourage team members to take the initiative and
give them broader responsibility.

2. Link Work Activities to the Goals of the Organization. Empowerment works better
when the empowered activities are aligned with the strategic goals of the organization.

3. Provide Ample Information. Give employees ample information about everything that
affects their work. This is the basis of open-book management.

4. Allow Group Members to Choose Methods. Explain to the individual or group what
needs to be done and let the people involved choose the method. Also explain why the
task needs to be done.

5. Encourage Self-Leadership. Encourage team members to practice self-leadership

because it is the heart of empowerment. The basic idea of self-leadership is that all
organizational members are capable of leading themselves at least to some extent.
When employees lead themselves, they feel empowered.

6. Establish Limits to Empowerment. To prevent dysfunction, workers need a clear

perception of the boundaries to empowerment.

7. Continue to Lead. Although the leader empowers group members, the leader should
still provide guidance, emotional support, and recognition.

6. Take Into Account Cultural Differences. Cross-cultural factors influence

empowerment, such as a study of a single firm with operations in the United States,
Mexico, Poland, and India. Among Indian workers, empowerment lowered job
satisfaction.

C. Effective Delegation and Empowerment

A major contributor to empowerment is delegation, the assignment to another person of

formal authority and responsibility for accomplishing a specific task. Delegation is narrower
than empowerment because it relates to a specific task. Delegation can be motivational

Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

62 Chapter 7: Power, Politics, and Leadership

because it offers group members the opportunity to develop their skills and demonstrate their
competence.

III. FACTORS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO ORGANIZATIONAL POLITICS

Organizational politics refers to informal approaches to gaining power through means other than
merit or luck. Views of organizational politics are becoming increasingly positive, such as
“Political skill is an interpersonal style that combines social awareness with the ability to
communicate well.” However, many people continue to view organizational politics as being
negative. Contributing factors to politics are as follows:
A. Pyramid-Shaped Organization Structure

The pyramid-shaped organization structure fosters a power chase because a pyramid concen-
trates power at the top and leads to competition for limited resources.

B. Subjective Standards of Performance

Subjective standards of performance foster political behavior. People often resort to

organizational politics because they do not believe that the organization has an objective and
fair way of judging their performance and promotability.

C. Environmental Uncertainty and Turbulence

Environmental uncertainty and turbulence fosters politics because when people operate in an
unstable and unpredictable environment, they tend to behave politically. It is difficult to
specify what people should be doing in an uncertain situation.

D. Emotional Insecurity

. Emotional insecurity can lead to political behavior as people attempt to ingratiate themselves
with superiors because they lack confidence in their talent and skills.

E. Machiavellian Tendencies

Machiavellian tendencies represent a fundamental reason why people engage in politics.

People who are Machiavellian have a propensity to behave politically.

F. Encouraging Admiration from Subordinates

Encouraging admiration form subordinates often takes place because the manager sends out
subtle signals that they want praise, such as smiling after receiving a compliment. Also,
admirers are more likely to receive good assignments and high performance standards.

IV. POLITICAL TACTICS AND STRATEGIES

Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

 Chapter 7: Power, Politics, and Leadership 63

To make effective use of organizational politics, leaders must be aware of specific political tactics
and strategies. Here we offer a representative group of political tactics and strategies categorized
as ethical versus unethical. Many of the influence tactics to be described in Chapter 8 can also be
considered political.
A. Ethical Political Tactics and Strategies
Ethical political methods are placed into three related groups: those aimed directly at gaining
power, those aimed at building relationships with superiors and coworkers, and those aimed
at avoiding political blunders. All of these tactics help the leader gain or retain power, and
they help the leader succeed in and manage a stressful work environment.
1. Strategies and Tactics Aimed at Gaining Power. As Tom Peters notes, the slow and
steady (and subtle) amassing of power is the surest road to success. The following
eleven techniques help a person gain power directly: (a) develop power contacts, (b)
have a compelling vision, (c) control vital information, (d) control lines of
communication, (e) do what the political environment demands, (f) bring in outside
experts, (g) make a quick showing—a quick display of dramatic results can lead to
acceptance of future proposals, (h) remember that everyone expects to be paid back, (i)
be politically correct, (j) be the first to accept reasonable changes, and (k) develop
positive psychological capital.

2. Strategies and Tactics Aimed at Building Relationships. Much of organizational

politics involves building positive relationships with network members who can be
helpful now or later. Several representative strategies and tactics follow: (a) display
loyalty; (b) manage your impression; (c) ask satisfied customers to contact your boss;
(d) be courteous, pleasant, and positive; (e) ask advice—show your trust in the other
person’s judgment; (f) send thank-you notes to large numbers of people; and (g) flatter
others sensibly.

3. Strategies Aimed at Avoiding Political Blunders. A strategy for retaining power is to

refrain from making power-eroding blunders. Some of these key blunders are (a)
criticizing the boss in a public forum, (b) bypassing the boss, (c) declining an offer
from top management, (d) putting your foot in your mouth, (e) not conforming to the
company dress code, and (f) writing embarrassing or incriminating e-mail messages.

B. Unethical Political Tactics and Strategies

Any political tactic might be considered unethical if it is carried to extremes. These

approaches, however, are unequivocally unethical: (a) back stabbing, (b) embrace or
demolish (take no prisoners), (c) set a person up for failure, (d) divide and rule (have
subordinates fight among themselves, therefore giving you the balance of power), (e)
playing territorial games, (f) creating then resolving a false catastrophe, and (g) abusing
power.
III. EXERCISING CONTROL OVER DYSFUNCTIONAL POLITICS

Carried to excess, organizational politics can hurt an organization and its members. A study
showed that the presence of political behavior can lead to lowered commitment and a stronger
turnover intention. Also, people who dislike politics will suffer from lowered morale.

Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

64 Chapter 7: Power, Politics, and Leadership

A comprehensive strategy to control politics is for leaders to be aware of its causes and
techniques. Open communication can also help minimize politicking. Avoiding favoritism and
cronyism is a major way of reducing politics. Setting good examples at the top may reduce the
frequency and intensity of politics. Goal congruence between the individual and the organization
helps. Politics can sometimes be constrained by threatening to discuss questionable information in
a public forum. Hiring people with integrity helps reduce dysfunctional politics.
VI. GUIDELINES FOR ACTION AND SKILL DEVELOPMENT

Finding ways to increase your power is a vital life skill because power helps you control your
environment, which leads to less stress and better physical and mental health.
In terms of building a network of contacts, it is usually better to have a smaller network of useful,
high-quality contacts. Anthropologist Dunbar says that the average human can maintain only 150
close social connections.

COMMENTS ON EXPERIENTIAL EXERCISES

Manager Assessment Quiz 7-1: Rating a Manager’s Power
To conduct this power rating, students might rate a present or past immediate manager. An issue worth
exploring is whether the power rating is subject to the halo effect. There might be a tendency to rate a
leader high on many characteristics just because he or she is well liked.

Leadership Self-Assessment Quiz 7-2: Empowering Attitudes and

Beliefs

This brief quiz offers the advantage of focusing the students’ attention on the importance of attitudes
and behaviors tied to empowerment. The behaviors are also associated with good supervision and
management in general. Several of the times provide a good operational definition of empowerment,
such as No. 10: Good results come about when workers are encouraged to search for solutions without
supervision.

Leadership Skill-Building Exercise 7-1: Conducting an

Empowerment Session
A potential contribution of these role-plays is that they illustrate the importance of leadership input in
the empowerment process. In both scenarios the leader will have to discuss mutual expectations. In both
scenarios, the workers are most likely skilled and would therefore be willing to make suggestions as
part of being empowered.

Leadership Self-Assessment Quiz 7-3: The Positive Organizational

Politics Questionnaire
An advantage of this questionnaire is that it focuses on the use of positive political tactics. The quiz also
gives students the opportunity to reflect on the link between using political tactics and acquiring power.
The skill-development portion of the quiz suggests that being overly political can backfire.

Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

 Chapter 7: Power, Politics, and Leadership 65

Leadership Skill-Building Exercise 7-2: The Flattery Role-Play

Count on students to perform admirably in this role play. The role players will find that being able
to flatter others in a natural, effective way is a skill that requires development. The airport scenario
is a good one because so often we have so little time to connect with key people.

Leadership Skill-Building Exercise 7-3: Controlling Office Politics

Although the subject is dealing with the control of impression management techniques, this exercise is
also useful for practicing conflict-resolution skills. A subtle advantage of this exercise is that it
reinforces the importance of controlling excessive politics.

Leadership Skill-Building Exercise 7-4: My Leadership Portfolio

A useful message sent by this exercise is that it is important to look for the potential political advantage
in many situations. A constructive mental set is, “What political advantage can I possibly squeeze from
this situation through using an ethical and constructive political tactic?”

Leadership Skill-Building Exercise 7-5: Dealing with a Political

Blunder
The role of Steve Ballmer should be relatively easy to play because Ballmer will most likely be blunt
and angry. He might even blame the middle manager for the problem. The role of the middle manager
will require considerable skill and finesse. The manager might have to apologize for the blunder
without making a promise that all Apple mobile devices will be barred from his unit. To do so might
make the middle manager appear to be weak in the eyes of his or her subordinates.

COMMENTS ON DISCUSSION QUESTIONS AND ACTIVITIES

1. How might an employee working for a large company such as GE or Honda have considerable
power even though the employee did not hold a position with an executive title?
The opportunities for having considerable power although not being an executive are limited, yet
still exist. A highly successful inventor at a company such as GE or Honda might have
considerable power because his or her efforts would be tied to substantial revenue for the
company. A portfolio manager who made highly successful investments for the company might
become valuable—again based on a contribution to company revenues. Another way of being
powerful without being an executive is to be a major stakeholder in the company, perhaps based
on wealth from outside sources.

2. How can a leader occupy a top-level executive position and still have relatively little power?
A low-power executive could be one who has so little expert power that his or her advice is not
taken seriously. The person might also be a political appointment who is given very few formal
responsibilities. Another possibility is that a person might have ties to the company founder, and
is being left alone until he or she retires.

Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

66 Chapter 7: Power, Politics, and Leadership

3. Contrary to popular opinion, CEOs of major U.S. companies come from a wide variety of private
universities and state universities, not just a handful of well-publicized MBA programs. What
does this fact tell you about sources of power and organizational politics?
The general picture here is that power can stem from a variety of sources including expertise and
reputation. You can eventually hold an executive position by acquiring power in a number of
ways and not relying so heavily on the prestige of your business program or the contacts you
make among classmates. A healthy perspective here is that the acquisition of power in business
has become more democratic, and less linked to elitism.
4. What can you do this week to enhance your power?
An approach that might work for many students is to look to make one useful contact, such as
befriending an influential person in a professional group, or a fellow student with above-average
potential. Studying, to enhance expert power, is another accessible method.

5. To what extent do you think that wearing the right type of clothing and accessories can really
make a person appear more powerful?
Wearing expensive and stylish clothing is often touted as a method of appearing powerful,
including such extremes as carrying $3,000 handbags and brief cases. Unless the clothing and
accessories are accompanied by power-oriented language and behavior, their effect is likely to be
modest. Another problem is that with so many low-priced imitations of power-oriented clothing
and accessories on the market, many people are less impressed by expensive clothing and
accessories.
6. Many business leaders say something to the effect of, “We practice empowerment because we
don’t expect our employees to leave their brains at the door.” What are these leaders talking
about?
The phrase “not leaving their brains at the door” refers to the idea that the leaders want workers to
continue using their best brainpower while on the job. The link to empowerment is that workers
need to engage in heavy thinking to carry out being empowered because they have to solve many
problems and make decisions on their own.
7. Empowerment has been criticized because it leaves no one in particular accountable for results.
What is your opinion of this criticism?
Elliot Jacques, who made this statement, is correct that empowerment can create a loose
organization. A possible antidote is to hold the team—and the team leader—accountable for
results. In practice, the team leader often assumes many of the responsibilities formerly assumed
by the unit manager.
8. Many people have asked the question “Isn’t office politics just for incompetents?” What is your
answer to this question?
Many competent and talented people must use organizational politics to gain the resources, and
make the contacts they need to accomplish their mission. Good job performance alone is often not
sufficient to acquire enough power to achieve laudable ends, such as getting a large enough
budget to launch a meritorious project.
9. Give an example of a political blunder you or anybody in your network has witnessed. What were
the consequences to the individual stemming from having committed the blunder?

Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

 Chapter 7: Power, Politics, and Leadership 67

Close observation would be needed to provide a documented example of a political blunder as

well as negative consequences. Here is one example: An accounting professor objected to a
curriculum change being proposed by the dean, and sent the dean several e-mails critical of the
changes. During a faculty meeting the dean called to launch the changes, the accounting professor
strongly criticized the curriculum change. In revenge, the dean cancelled the professor’s contract
to teach two courses the upcoming summer session. The professor, who was counting on the
income, had to borrow money to get through the summer.
10. Ask an experienced worker to give you an example of the successful application of organizational
politics. Which tactic was used and what was the outcome?
The information gathered in response to this question should be illuminating. A modal answer is
likely to be the use of ethical politics to form alliances with a powerful person, and then cashing in
on that contact in the future. For example, a middle manager may have found a summer internship
for an executive’s daughter. Later when the middle manager needs authorization for a pilot project
on a new service, the manager has a highly-placed ally.

PLAUSIBLE RESPONSES TO CASE QUESTIONS

Leadership Case Problem A : Yo-Yo Empowerment at Direct Mail Inc.
This case about empowerment at a relatively small retailer illustrates some of the practical problems
involved in empowerment.
1. What advice can you offer Parker about his approach to empowerment?
If the feedback from subordinates is accurate, Parker needs to look for instances in which he can
make empowerment and delegation more complete.
2. To what extent is Valentine committing a political blunder in telling her boss that he is a yo-yo
delegator?
With an insecure boss, telling him or her that he or she is a yo-yo delegator could damage the
relationship between the subordinate and boss. At Direct Mail, the direct reports appear to have a
good relationship with Dennis Parker, allowing for such frank discussion.
3. What is your evaluation of the corporate social responsibility of a direct mail business considering
that probably over 95 percent of recipients of the mailings throw them away immediately?
The easy argument here is that a direct mail business is socially irresponsible because the mailings
waste so much paper, energy, and might help clog landfills. The counterargument is that a direct
mail business does some social good. The company creates jobs for its own employees, helps its
customers stay in business thereby preserving jobs, and also creates business for printers thereby
preserving even more jobs. Furthermore, without direct mailers (including newspaper inserts) the
U. S. Postal Service and newspaper companies would have to shrink their workforces even
further.
Associated Role Play
A focal point in this role play is how well Audrey is able to strike a balance between expressing
concern to her boss Dennis, yet still preserve the relationship. Observers might look to see if Audrey
can work in some flattery to establish a positive climate for giving criticism.

Leadership Case Problem B: Brenda, the Tweeting Leader

Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

68 Chapter 7: Power, Politics, and Leadership

This case illustrates how social media can be used to help carry out the leadership function of
motivating, encouraging, and influencing subordinates. All of these activities have a political
component.

1. What impact do you think Brenda’s tweeting will have on her leadership effectiveness?
Brenda’s tweeting will probably have a positive impact on her leadership effectiveness. Using
tweets in the manner described in this case is similar to being the “one-minute manager” of the
1970s. In other words, Brenda is using tweets to deliver quick doses of positive reinforcement.

2. What do you think of the political effectiveness of sending the same tweet to several workers?
Sending the same tweet to several different workers is probably less effective than individualizing
her tweets. Group tweets conflict with the principle that compliments should be individualized for
maximum impact. It might be best for Brenda to combine group compliments with an
individualized compliment for each recipient of a tweet.

3. What suggestions might you offer Brenda for making even more effective use of Twitter as a
leadership tool?
Brenda appears to be using tweets effectively. The answer to question 2 provides one suggestion for
Brenda: Combine individualized compliments with group compliments. Another suggestion would
be for Brenda not to use tweets too frequently. Abundant tweets go stale quickly.

Associated Role Play

The focus of this role play is damage control. The student who posted the derogatory comment about
Brenda’s approach to tweeting must attempt to patch the situation. (Many people these days, including
public figures, need to do damage control in relation to their tweeting.)

Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

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 THE COMMON BOAR.

The Boar is naturally stupid, inactive, and drowsy. It is very restless

at a change of the weather: and during high winds it runs about with
great violence, screaming loudly at the same time. It is thought to
foresee the approach of bad weather. Before a storm comes on it
may be seen carrying straw to its sty, for the purpose of making itself
a bed.
 THE BOAR.

The form of the Boar is very clumsy. Its neck is strong, its snout is
long and hard, and made for turning up the earth for roots of various
kinds, of which it is very fond. It has likewise a quick sense of
smelling. The flesh of the Hog is of great use, and makes an elegant,
as well as almost a constant article for the table. It takes salt better
than any other kind of meat, and can be kept longer. It is of great
importance in ships’ stores, as it forms the principal food during long
voyages.
 THE SOW.

THE SOW.

The Sow is, generally speaking, a harmless and inoffensive creature.

Its food consists of a variety of things that would otherwise be
wasted; the refuse of the field, the garden, the barn, or the kitchen,
afford them a very good meal. These animals select with great
sagacity and niceness the plants they prefer, and are never poisoned
like some others by mistaking one plant for another. Selfish,
obstinate, and greedy as many think them, no animal, it is said, has
greater feeling for those of its own kind. They have been known to
gather round a dog that teased them, and kill him on the spot. If a
male and female are put in a sty together when young, the female
will not eat her food for some time if her companion is removed from
her.
Many things shew that they are not quite so stupid as some are
inclined to believe. We have had exhibitions of their ingenuity, which
have attracted great attention and astonishment. And it is stated as a
remarkable fact, that a gamekeeper actually broke in a New Forest
Sow to find game nearly as well as a pointer.
 THE TAME CAT.

The Tame Cat may be found in almost all countries, and it differs but
little from the wild cat except in the brightness of its colours. It is very
useful in our houses in catching the rats and mice.
 THE TAME CAT.

Of all animals when young, there is none more prettily playful and
amusing than the Kitten, and little children are mostly very fond of
them; but it generally changes its disposition as it grows older. From
being naturally ravenous, it learns in time to disguise its appetite,
and to seize the favourable moment for plunder. Sly and artful, it has
learned to conceal its intentions till it can put them in force: and
whenever the opportunity occurs, it directly seizes upon whatever it
finds, flies off with it, and remains at a distance till it thinks its offence
is forgotten. Instances of the fidelity of Cats, however, are not so rare
as some would have us imagine. A French traveller had an Angora
Cat, a native of Egypt, which kept by his side in his solitary
moments; she often interrupted him in his meditations by affectionate
caresses, and in his absence sought and called for him with great
inquietude.
 THE WILD CAT.

THE WILD CAT.

The hair of the Wild Cat is soft and fine, and of a pale yellow colour,
mixed with grey; a dusky-coloured line runs along the back, from its
head to its tail; the tail is thick, and marked with bars of black and
white. It is larger and stronger than the tame Cat, and its fur much
longer. It inhabits the most hilly and woody parts of this island, lives
in trees, and hunts for birds and small animals, such as rabbits,
hares, rats, mice, moles, &c.; and it is also very destructive among
poultry. The Cat seems to possess something like an additional
sense, by means of its whiskers. These whiskers consist not only of
long hairs on the upper lips, but also of four or five others standing
up from each eyebrow, and also two or three on each cheek; all of
which, when the animal erects them, make, with their extremities, so
many points in the compass of a circle as to be at least equal in
extent to their own bodies. With this assistance, it is supposed it can
at once discover whether any hole or space is large enough to admit
the body, which to those living in a wild state is of the greatest
consequence; and to the domestic Cat of great service.
 THE WEASEL.

The length of this animal does not exceed seven inches: its height is
two inches and a half. The most usual colour of the Weasel is a pale
reddish brown on the back, sides, and legs; the throat and belly are
white. This animal is very common, and well known in this country; it
is destructive to young birds, poultry, and rabbits, and is a keen
devourer of eggs. It will follow a young hare, which becomes so
terrified as to give itself up to it without resistance, making at the
same time the most piteous outcries.
 THE WEASEL.

The Weasel is very useful to the farmer. During the winter it

frequents his barns and granaries, which it clears of rats and mice; it
is a more deadly enemy to them than even the Cat; for being more
active and slender it pursues them into their holes, and kills them
quickly. Though the Weasel is a wild little animal, there are instances
to prove, that it is capable of being made quite tame. They have
been taught to lick the hand from which they receive their food, and
even to follow their master.
THE MARTIN.

THE MARTIN.
The Martin lives chiefly in the pine-tree forests of North America. The
principal difference between the Pine-Weasel and the Martin is in the
colour. The breast of the former is yellow; the colour of the body
much darker; and the fur in general, greatly superior in fineness,
beauty, and value. The Martin is about eighteen inches long; the tail
is ten inches long, and full of hair, especially towards the end, which
is thick and bushy; the ears are broad, round and open; the body is
covered with a thick fur, of a dark brown colour: the head is brown,
mixed with red; the throat and breast are white; the feet are broad,
and covered on the under side with a thick fur; the claws are white,
large, and sharp, well adapted for climbing trees, where it mostly
lives. The skin has a very nice scent; its fur is valuable, and highly
prized. When taken young, it is easily tamed, and becomes very
playful and good-humoured, but is not to be depended upon. It
readily takes advantage of the first opportunity to regain its liberty,
and retire to the woods. The food of the Martin consists of rats, mice,
poultry, game, birds, and grain, and it is also extremely fond of
honey.
THE FERRET.

THE FERRET.