BREEDING AND HANDLING OF FERRETS. 155 



various vernacular names (there are many others than those above given) 

 seems to be the Latin fur, a thief. There may also, as has been suggested, 

 be a relationship with the Latin viverra, by which name the present, among 

 other species, seems to have been known to the ancients. 



The rearing of Ferrets seems to be a growing industry in this country, 

 though still not practiced to the extent it is in Europe. The following 

 article, entitled " Ferret Breeding and Handling", by Mr. F. Mather, appeared 

 in the "American Sportsman " (newspaper) of November 28, 1874 : — 



"I have had several inquiries of late from readers of the Sportsman con- 

 cerning the breeding, management and hunting of ferrets, together with 

 invitations to write it up. It appears somewhat singular that no one has 

 done this before, at least I do not remember to have seen anything on the 

 subject in any American paper, and this fact causes me to comply with the 

 request more readily than I should have done had others with more experi- 

 ence volunteered to publish it. 



" Practical details having been asked for, we will consider them as they 

 are in our day, and not stop to trace their origin nor where first used. We 

 have two varieties, the brown or * fitch-ferret,' and the white one. The 

 latter is probably an albino, as its eyes are pink ; but it breeds true to color 

 every time, possibly a ' sport/ as the florists say, that has been perpetuated. 

 The white ones seem to be in most favor for some unknown reason, judging 

 from the inquiries that I have received. I keep both kinds, and have them 

 mixed, and don't see any difterence in hunting qualities, and can only account 

 for the preference on the ground that the white ones are thought to be the 

 prettiest pets. Having no strong local attachments, they require to be con- 

 stantly confined, although instances have been known where they were at 

 liberty and did not go away ; still, as they are just as good for chickens as 

 for rats and rabbits, it is best not to trust them too far. Two or three ani- 

 mals may be kept in a common shoe-box with slats or wire-cloth fronts, a 

 box for a nest in one corner, and a drawer containing coal-ashes or earth in 

 another. This should be emptied often and renewed ; they will make all 

 their muss here and will then keep clean and healthy. A cellar is not a 

 good place for them — too damp and cold ; a yard or wood-shed is better. I 

 have a ferret-yard made for the purpose, built of hemlock boards ; it is six- 

 teen feet long by six wide ; the sides are four feet high, the boards running up 

 and down to prevent climbing ; it is also floored to prevent digging. I have 

 in this at present eighteen ferrets, but could accommodate fifty, as they only 

 foul one corner. A tin spout conveys milk into the feeding-pan, and meat 

 is thrown over. Their nest is a box with a cover ; it is full of straw, and a 

 hole in one side is the door. One-half will be covered this winter to keep 

 the snow off. 



" They will shiver in the summer, and it is not good to keep them in too 

 warm a place if they are expected to hunt in the snow ; but a small box of 

 straw where they can huddle up together and so keep warm is sufiicient. I 

 saw three ferrets last summer in a small box that was sheet-ironed inside 

 (the owner thought that they could gnaw like rats), where the poor things 

 had lived for a month in their filth. It was horrible enough to breed a pes- 

 tilence ; in fact it did breed one for the ferrets. I told the owner so, but he 

 thought not. Mr. Bergh should have seen that ! 



*' They will keep very clean if they have a chance, but will drag food into 

 their nests and store it if they have too much at any time. This can be 



