On Fri, 29 May 1998, lydia wrote:

[snip..]

>
> I'm pretty sure they were martins. They were dark reddish-brown on top
> and a lighter shade on the bottom. They had long slender tails with
> darker tufts on the ends. Their body language said "weasel" or "ferret",
> but they were so tiny! Martins are the smallest of the weasel family
> aren't they? Those little critters were having so much fun, I really
> enjoyed watching them romp!
>
Lydia--

hmm-mmmmm...well, not everyone's sense of size is the same, so
mileage may vary..but, it sounds to me like you might have
run up on something called the Least Weasel (I am way in over
my head, here so those of you who have more accurate information
should please post it..and bail me out :)
I think this could be a very rare animal..if it's as you
describe it.

my recollection of a Marten is that it's a large animal
like a Fisher.. (again, I defer to anyone who care to
present us with more accurate info)

Tom