66 FERRET FACTS AND FANCIES. 



year old and the other hundred two years old, 

 that the number of deaths would likely be twice 

 as many among the tAvo-year-olds. Further he 

 said that the yearlings would raise as many if 

 not more young than the two-year-olds. 



In some parts of the Old World, where fer- 

 rets have been bred and raised for hundreds of 

 years, a report has been spread that a female in 

 heat not allowed to be with a male will die ; also 

 males not allowed with females will die. In- 

 quiry among breeders in America does not bear 

 out such reports. The fact that ferrets are short 

 lived, whether bred or not, probably was the 

 foundation for the assertion which seems to have 

 originated in Europe. 



Judging from the fact that the first litter is 

 about double that of the second for best breeders, 

 females from the first litter should be kept. The 

 fact that some ferret raisers produce an average 

 number of young per female much larger than 

 others, leads to this belief, although no one so 

 stated. In fact there are certain things in con- 

 nection with the business that raisers seem to 

 wish kept from the public. 



For large litters I am of the belief that both 

 females and males selected from the first litters 

 should be kept. True, this will mean keeping a 

 few months longer than if taken from the second, 



