650 



THE CARNIVORES 



inaccessible retreats. In the Alps it wanders in summer far above the limit of trees, 

 although retreating to lower elevations in winter. The nest of the polecat is made 

 in a deserted rabbit hole, in the crevices of rocks, or among heaps of stones over- 

 grown with brushwood or weeds; and here the young are born in the months of 

 April and May, or, more rarely, the beginning of June. The number in a litter may 

 vary from three to eight, although it is more usual to find four, five or six. When 

 captured early, the young may be easily trained for the purpose of rabbit catching. 

 Fossil remains of the polecat, like those of the weasel and the stoat, have been ob- 

 tained from the cavern deposits of England and the Continent, in association with 

 the bones of extinct Mammals. 



THE FERRET. 

 (One-third natural size.) 



After much discussion and difference of opinion, zoologists are 

 agreed that the ferret is merely a variety of the polecat, somewhat 

 modified by the effects of long-continued captivity. It is usually smaller and more 

 slender than the polecat, and is generally of a yellowish- white color, with pink eyes, 

 but there is also a brown variety known as the " polecat ferret." Ferrets are bred 

 chiefly for rabbit and rat hunting, both in Europe and the United States. Although 

 they learn to know their masters to a certain extent, they are untrustworthy animals, 

 and should be handled with caution. The ferret has no strong local attachments, and, 

 therefore, requires to be strictly secured. It is also very susceptible to cold. As is 

 the case with many domesticated animals, ferrets are more prolific than their wild 

 allies, the number in a litter usually varying from five to ten. The young are born 

 in the spring ; but it is said that there may sometimes be two litters in the year. 



