THE WEASEL KIND. 79 



eyes rprightly, its phyfiognomy pleafant, motions fwifr. It ate eggs or 

 fiefh, but always let them firft putrify. As feme of this kind are fond 

 of honey, it was tried with fuch food, of which it ate, and died 

 fliortly after. 



In the north of Europe and Siberia, their fkins make a valuable arti- 

 cle of commerce; are there abundant; fome in Newfoundland and Ca- 

 nada ; burrow in the fields, or in birch forefts, never in thofe of fir or 

 pine; are (hot with blunt arrows, or taken in traps made of two fiat 

 ftones ; one propped with a (tick, to which is faftened a baited ftring ; 

 when the animals attempt to pull this away, the Itone drops, and 

 crulhes them^ 



THE FERRET ' 



IS above one foot long, of flender body and (hort legs ; its nofc 

 {harp ; is commonly of a cream colour, but are found white, 

 blackifh, brown, and party-coloured. The whitifh have red eyes, as is 

 almoft general with animals entirely of that colour. The hair on its tail 

 is much longer than in the weafel ; tail five inches. 



This animai is native of the torrid zone, from whence it was fetched 

 into Spain to free that country from rabbits, which over-run it; cannot 

 bear our climate, without care and fhelter ; kept for its ufe in the war- 

 ren ; is naturally fuch an enemy of the rabbit, that if a dead rabbit be 

 be prefented to a young ferret, though it has never feen one before, it 

 inllantly attacks it. If the rabbit be living, the ferret eagerly feizes ic 

 by the neck, winds itfelf round it, and fucks its blood. In warrens they 

 enter the holes, and drive the rabbits into nets at the mouth. The fer- 

 ret is always muzzled, left it Ihould continue at the bottom of the hole. 

 If it difengages itfelf of its muzzle, inftead of returning, it leads a ra- 

 pacious folitary life during fummer, and dies with the cold of winter j 

 unlefs fmoked from his hole. 



The female is lefs than the male ; they fleep almoft continually ; the 

 inftant they wake, feem eager for food, which is ufually bread and milk ; 

 they breed twice a year, bring five, fix, to nine at a lirter. Some of 

 them devour their young. The ferret is ufeful, but difagreeable and 

 offenQvej foetid, voracious, tame without attachment j blood-thirfty. 



No. 23. P . even 



