354 THE FERRET. 



make their appearance towards the end of May or the beginning of June. Sometimes 

 the nest is made in a deserted rabbit-burrow, sometimes in the deep and dark crannies 

 which are often found in rocky localities, and sometimes in the interstices which exist 

 between large and rough stones when they are thrown loosely into a heap. If a stone- 

 heap should be covered with grass or brushwood, the Polecat seems to be better pleased 

 than if the component parts were bleak and bare, and is more likely to take up its 

 residence within its recesses. On one occasion, when a Polecat had entered a rabbit's 

 burrow for the purpose of destroying the inmates, it was followed by a ferret, which 

 had been sent into the burrow by its master for the same object. As the ferret re- 

 mained in the burrow for a very long time, its master became impatient, and think- 

 ing that it might have settled itself to sleep, began to stamp on the ground and to 

 shout into the hole, in order to awaken the slumbering animal. 



After a while, to use the language of the narrator, " I heard a faint noise, which 

 resembled the squeak of a ferret. I was all astonishment, and could not account 

 for it ; I listened again, and the noise grew louder, as if proceeding from more than one 

 animal. Presently I observed the ferret's tail, and soon afterwards saw that it was 

 struggling hard to bring something out of the burrow, which I thought must be a rab- 

 bit. The ferret continued to drag its prey to the mouth of the hole, when, to my as- 

 tonishment, I found it closely interlocked with a male Polecat ; they had fastened like 

 bull-dogs on each other's necks. The Polecat, when it saw me, did not quit its hold, 

 but redoubled its efforts, and dragged the ferret back into the earth, when the squeak- 

 ing was resumed. 



I now feared for the ferret's life, but soon observed it again bringing its opponent to 

 the mouth of the hole, so I drew back, hoping that it might be brought out for me to 

 take a shot. This never however happened, for the Polecat again rallied, kept its hold 

 fast, and the belligerent parties once more disappeared. 



I neither saw nor heard anything of them for some time, and again feared for my 

 little champion's life. But a third time I saw it dragging out its antagonist with renewed 

 vigor. The ferret brought its opponent to the mouth of the hole, when a desperate 

 struggle ensued, and just as I expected to see the Polecat defeated, the ferret, quite 

 exhausted, relinquished the combat and came hopping towards me, considerably man- 

 gled about the throat. Its enemy did not dare to follow, but stood deliberately snuff- 

 ing up the air at the mouth of its burrow. I took aim at the Polecat, and, strange to 

 say, my gun missed fire at least four or five times, when the little hero, turning quickly 

 round, escaped into the earth, thus failing with my auxiliaries, my ferret and my 

 gun. 



I attribute the defeat of the ferret to the inevitable loss of vigor which every 

 animal must suffer when confined under the dominion of man, and restrained from 

 those habits of invariable instinct which in their natural state produces in them the 

 great height of perfection." 



IN no manner is the dominion of mankind over the inferior animals more powerfully 

 asserted than in his power of subjecting them to his influence, and bending their natural 

 instincts to his service. There really appears to be hardly any group of animals, and, 

 indeed, but very few families, which do not furnish their quota to the number of the serv- 

 ants of the human race. 



We have already seen that several species of the monkey race are employed in the 

 service of the human inhabitants of their native land. The bats appear to have escaped 

 at present from the service of mankind, although it has been proved that they are 

 possessed of a considerable amount of intellect, and can be tamed without difficulty. 

 Among the cats, the cheetah and the caracal are examples of wild animals whose de- 

 structive instinct has been employed in the service of mankind. Several species of the 

 civet tribe have been taught to chase and destroy rats, mice, or other domestic pests, 

 while the services which are rendered to mankind by the dog are too well known to need 

 more than a passing reference. 



Even those unpromising animals, the weasels, can be subjected to the wondrous 

 super-eminence of the human intellect. The FERRET is well known as the constant 



