THE FERRET. 



355 



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companion of the rat-catcher and the rabbit-hunter, being employed for the purpose of 

 following its prey into their deepest recesses, and of driving them from their strong- 

 holds into the open air, when the pursuit is taken up by its master. The mode in which 

 the Ferret is employed will be presently related. 



Some writers have thought the Ferret to be identical in species with the polecat, and 

 have strengthened this opinion by the well-known fact that a mixed breed between 

 these two animals is often employed by those who study the development and the 

 powers of the Ferret. 



However, the most generally received opinion of the present day considers the Ferret 

 to be a distinct species. Mr. Bell, in his work on the British Quadrupeds, remarks 

 that the different geographical range which is inhabited by these creatures is one of 

 the most striking arguments in favor of the distinction of the species. The polecat is 

 found in the northern parts of Europe, bearing the severest cold with impunity, and 

 able to track its prey for many miles over the snow. But the Ferret is originally a 

 native of Africa, and is most sensitive to cold, needing artificial means whereby it can 

 be preserved from the cold air of our English climate, and perishing if it be exposed 

 to the frosts of winter. When the Ferret is kept in a state of domestication, the box 

 or hutch in which it resides must 

 be amply supplied with hay, wool, 

 or other warm substances, or the 

 creature will soon pine away and 

 die. 



It sometimes happens that a 

 Ferret escapes from its owners, 

 and making its way into the near- 

 est wood or warren, remains in 

 its new quarters until the end of 

 autumn, living quite at its ease, 

 and killing rabbits and game at 

 its leisure. But when the cold 

 weather draws near, and the frosty 

 nights of autumn begin to herald 

 the frosty days of winter, the 

 Ferret will do its best to return 

 to its captivity and its warmer 

 bed, or, failing in its attempt, will 

 die. That a Ferret should es- 

 cape is by no means an unlikely 

 circumstance, for the creature is 

 so active of limb and so serpentine of body that it can avail itself of the very smallest 

 opening, and, when once at liberty, can conceal itself with such address that it is very 

 rarely recovered. 



Some years ago, an escaped Ferret was discovered in its usurped burrow, and most 

 gallantly captured by a young lad who was at the time among the number of my pupils. 

 He was prowling round a small, thickly-wooded copse, in search of birds' nests, when 

 he saw a sharply-pointed snout protruding from a rabbit-hole in the bank which edged 

 the copse, and a pair of fiery little eyes gleaming like two living gems in the semi-dark- 

 ness of the burrow. Being a remarkably silent and reticent lad, he told no one of his 

 discovery, but went into the village, and presently returned, bearing a little dead kitten 

 which had just been drowned. He then crept to the foot of the bank which overhung the 

 burrow, and holding the dead kitten by its tail, lowered it into the hole. The Ferret 

 made an immediate spring at the prey which had made so opportune an arrival, and 

 was jerked out of the burrow before it could loosen its hold. 



The lad grasped the Ferret across the body, but as he was lying in such a manner that 

 he could only use his left arm, the enraged animal began to bite his hand in the most 

 furious manner. However, the young captor could not be induced to let the Ferret es- 

 cape, and with great presence of mind whirled the creature round with such rapidity that it 



FERRET. Mustela Furo. 



