HISTORY AND DESCRIPTION. 21 



ferret. Many farmers, ranchers, gardeners, etc., 

 especiall}^ west of the Mississippi, write ferret 

 owners asking if they have animals that will kill 

 ground squirrels and other pests. Keliable ferret 

 raisers generally recommend best results only 

 for rats or rabbits. Some claim their ferrets will 

 drive out skunk, mink, ground squirrels and 

 other small animals. While the ferret is natu- 

 rally a fighter, yet their size and strength is lim- 

 ited. Certain animals have a natural dread of 

 the ferret and seek to escape. If several ferrets 

 were put in dens they might rout the animal, yet 

 rats and rabbits are the two on which they are 

 the most used, as both are afraid of the ferret. 



Ferrets have a large field to work in ; they are 

 used on vessels and around wharfs, in mills, ele- 

 vators, cellars, by farmers, sportsmen and poul- 

 try breeders. The cities and country are over-run 

 with rats and the only way to get rid of them is 

 to ferret them out. They are also used by sports- 

 men for hunting rabbits, mink, muskrat and 

 other game. Buy a pair of ferrets and clear your 

 place of rats. For rabbit hunting you will find 

 them the best paying investment you ever made. 

 They are also used on ground squirrels, gophers 

 and prairie dogs. 



The saying ^'ferret it out'' is surely applicable 

 to the four-footed ferret for thev can ^'ferret out'' 



