MARTEN. 



217 



fly in the skeleton, which, being the least change- 

 ble part of an animal, is the best on which to 

 jund distinctions. It has a rib more than the pole- 

 at, and an additional bone in the sternum. It is 

 .bo a smaller and more delicate animal, and suffers 

 :iuch more from exposure to cold. The polecat, 

 Jthough its fur is by no means a polar one, can 

 rough it" very well, even in the severest storms 

 rhich visit our lowlands in winter ; whereas the ferret 

 as to be kept in the house, and in a box lined with 

 , r ool, long before the thermometer sinks to the freez- 

 jg point. Nor are we without the evidence of 

 istory as to the southern origin of the ferret. Strabo 

 iforms us that in early times a great portion of Spain 

 i-as literally eaten up on the surface, and drilled into 

 oles like a honeycomb, by rabbits, just as many parts 

 f the Pampas in South America are at present by 

 fie viscachio. Countries, when thus taken posses- 

 ion of by those burrowing rodents in such multitudes, 

 re quite unprofitable to man ; and scarcely any 

 uman means, indeed none which would be repaid 

 y the advantage gained, can rid them of these pests. 

 Co bring Spain within the class of useful countries, 

 tie ferret was imported from Africa; and it has ever 

 ince been more or less preserved in Europe, not 

 omesticated, (for, to soften its disposition would be 

 3 destroy its usefulness,) but a subject of the care of 

 hose who employ it. To those who feed it, and are 

 therwise kind to it, it is not gratuitously savage, at 

 east in any very high degree ; but very little tam- 

 icring with it angers it, and makes it bite. When 

 ngry, its odour, which is far from pleasant at any 

 ime, becomes even less so, and establishes its con- 

 exion with the polecat genus. It is considerably 

 mailer than the polecat, being four inches shorter 

 a the body and an inch shorter in the tail ; and it is 

 xceedingly slender. It is very bold, however, and 

 ;s disposition to kill rabbits is most inveterate. It 

 j chiefly used for rabbit hunting, not for killing 

 hem ; for if it were allowed to do that, it would soon 

 lespatch a whole warren, and leave the owner to dig 

 iut the dead bodies at his leisure. It is used to 

 1 unearth " them, or drive them out of their holes, and 

 t is carefully muzzled to prevent it from biting. The 

 abbits are not, of course, aware of the perfect harm- 

 essness of the muzzled ferret, and so they scamper 

 ut, and are caught, generally by terriers, which 

 vutch at the mouths of the holes, and at another time 

 n a net, if the object is to keep the rabbits alive. It 

 s also the very prince of rat-catchers ; and as it is 

 rot muzzled for this sort of occupation, it slaughters 

 iway in a dashing style, and might be very useful 

 n places infested with rats, were it not for the atten- 

 ion and trouble which it requires. In corn stores 

 ind mills it might be advantageously kept ; and if 

 L snug berth could always be provided for it, it 

 vould be very valuable at sea. The ferret, as is 

 he case with most animals when transported to a 

 :liinate colder than their natural one, spends a great 

 leal of its time in sleep ; but the moment that it 

 iwakens, it is in a state for action ; and slender 

 is it seems, it is capable of undergoing a great deal 

 >(' fatigue. The period of gestation is six weeks ; 

 ind two litters, varying from about five to nine, are 

 >roduced in the year ; so that, it is a very prolific 

 inimal. The female is apt sometimes to devour her 

 vn offspring when they are newly dropped ; but 

 ivlieu she does this, she is very soon ready to prepare 

 or another litter. Altogether the ferret is a most 



interesting little animal ; and it is not the less so for 

 having been in Europe for at least two thousand 

 years, without becoming 90 far accommodated to the 

 climate as to pass into the wild state. This is ano- 

 ther curious point in the physiology of animals, 

 and one which well deserves attention. Man can 

 inhabit from the equator to very high latitudes ; the 

 dog can accompany him in all, and most of the other 

 domestic animals, in the greater part, accommodating 

 themselves to the difference of climate in the course 

 of time ; but the more carnivorous animals are, as it 

 were, tied to their localities, and no time will inure 

 them to a climate very different from that of which 

 they are natives. 



The Siberian Polecat, (P. Sibirica.) This species 

 is about the size of the ferret. Its general colour is 

 bright golden yellow, but often with white on the 

 point of the muzzle and below the lower jaw, and 

 brown on the nose and the eyes. It is subject to 

 varieties, however ; and it is understood that a few 

 individuals of these varieties are found as far 

 to the westward as France. In its native country, 

 where it is abundant, it resides chiefly in the forest 

 during the summer ; but, when the cold weather sets 

 in, it approaches houses, and is very apt to play 

 the same part in farm-yards and pigeon-houses as 

 the polecat and the weasel. It is probable that 

 this species might be rendered very useful in the 

 destruction of rats, as it is more hardy than the ferret. 

 Its fur is much longer than that of any of those 

 which we have yet described, clearly indicating a 

 more northerly origin. 



The Weasel (P. vulgaris] is the most diminutive of 

 its tribe. Its height from the ground, when the back 

 is not arched, does not exceed two inches and a half; 

 and the length of its body is less than eight inches. 

 The tail is shorter than in most of the genus, being 

 about two inches and a half, and terminating in a 

 point. The colour varies a little in the individuals, 

 and still more with climate ; but, generally speaking, 

 the upper parts and the legs are pale brown, the 

 throat and belly white ; and there are two spots of 

 brown behind each corner of the mouth. The eyes 

 are small and round, and of a clear black colour ; and 

 the ears are rather large, and have a fold near the 

 margin, which makes them appear as though they 

 were double. The weasel is very generally distri- 

 buted over the cold and temperate parts of the world, 

 and it is a very bold and energetic little animal. The 

 flexibility of the weasel, and the agility with which it 

 moves about, give it a wonderful command of all 

 sorts of places. There is a proverb which says, " He 

 builds closely with dry stones who can build out tUe 

 weasel ;" and the saying is true, for the animal has 

 been known to worm its body through a hole less 

 than three quarters of an inch in diameter. It is also 

 a most expert climber, and can ascend a wall or a 

 tree with all the dexterity and expedition of a cat ; 

 arid as its feet are shorter, and its body longer ia 

 proportion than that animal, it can twine round and 

 round so as to elude capture. On the ground it is 

 not a very swift animal ; less so, indeed, than most of 

 its congeners ; and thus, in an open place, it is soon 

 run down. If, however, there are trees, or walls, or 

 brakes near it, it is in vain to hunt the weasel by the 

 help of any known animal; and, small as it is, no 

 dog.s, except the most determined terriers, are fond of 

 having- anything to do with it. It springs at their 

 nose or check, and there it hangs, inflicting a bite 



