HISTORY AND DESCRIPTION. 17 



weasel (musteliclae) family they are possessed 

 of a foul odor which they can secrete or produce 

 at will. They, however, are not foul smelling 

 unless roughly handled. 



The ferret, according to Chambers' Encyclo- 

 pedia, is an animal of the weasel family so nearly 

 allied to the Fitch, known as Polecat in the Old 

 World, that many regard it as a mere domesti- 

 cated variety. It is of rather small size, the 

 head and body being about fourteen inches long, 

 the tail five inches and a half, the muzzle rather 

 longer and more pointed, the head rather nar- 

 rower and the color is very different, being yel- 

 lowish, with more or less of white in some parts, 

 there being two kinds of hair, the longer partly 

 white, the shorter yellow. The eyes are pink. It 

 is, however, much more susceptible to cold than 

 the polecat and requires careful protection from 

 it in climates where the polecat is a hardy native. 

 It was imported into Europe from Africa and was 

 well known to the Romans, being anciently em- 

 ployed, as it still is, in catching rabbits, for 

 which purpose it is often sent into their burrows 

 muzzled, or ^^coped" by means of a piece of 

 string, to drive them out into nets, or, with a 

 string attached to it, jt is allowed to seize the 

 rabbit in the burrows and then it is drawn out, 

 holding it fast. 



