THE POLECAT-FERRET. 



357 



"One evening I called upon an acquaintance of mine, and found him just going to 

 decide a wager respecting a large male Ferret of the polecat breed, which was to de- 

 stroy fifty rats within the hour. It must be borne in mind that this Ferret was trained 

 for the purpose. 



The rats were placed in a large square measuring eight or ten feet from corner to 

 corner. The Ferret was put in, and it was astonishing to see the systematic way in 

 which he set about his work. Some of the larger rats were very great cowards, and 

 surrendered with scarcely a struggle ; while some of the smaller, or three-parts-grown 

 ones, fought most desperately. One of these drew my particular attention. The Ferret, 

 in making his attacks, was beaten off several times, to his great discomfiture ; for the 

 rat bit him most severely. At last the Ferret bustled the fight, and succeeded in 

 getting the rat upon its back, with one of his feet upon the lower part of its belly. In 

 this position they remained for some minutes, with their heads close to each other and 

 their mouths wide open. The Ferret was rather exhausted with his former conflicts, 

 and every move he made the rat bit him. At last he lost his temper, and making one 

 desperate effort, he succeeded in getting the rat within his deadly grasp. He threw 

 himself upon his side, and drawing the rat close to him, he fixed his teeth in its 

 neck. 



While thus engaged, a rat was running carelessly about. All at once, when near the 

 Ferret, it threw up its head as if a new idea had struck it : it retreated till it met with 

 another, and it was astonishing to see the instantaneous effect produced in the second. 

 Off they ran together to the corner where the Ferret lay. The fact was, they scented the 

 blood of either the rat or the Ferret, which in both was running in profusion. Without any 

 further ceremony they seized the 

 Ferret fast by the crown of the 

 head, and drew themselves up 

 for a comfortable suck of warm 

 blood. The Ferret, feeling the 

 smart, thought it was his old op- 

 ponent that was struggling in his 

 grasp, and bit his lifeless victim 

 most furiously. Presently he let 

 go the dead rat and seemed as- 

 tounded at the audacity of the 

 others. He began to struggle, 

 and they seemed quite offended 

 at being disturbed at their repast. 

 He very soon, however, suc- 

 ceeded in catching hold of one 

 of them, and the other ran away ; 

 but only for a few seconds. The 

 Ferret demolished the whole fifty 

 considerably under the hour." 



Two kinds of Ferrets are em- 

 ployed for the purpose of hunting 



game ; the one, a creamy-white creature, with bright pink eyes, and the other a much dark- 

 er and fiercer-looking animal, which is the mixed offspring of the polecat and the Ferret. 

 This is the animal which is called the Polecat-ferret in the above mentioned anecdote. 



The same author mentions several curious instances of single combat between rats 

 and Ferrets, in which the latter animals were successfully resisted. On one occasion, 

 when he was walking in the fields, accompanied by the tame Ferret which has already 

 been described, a sharp conflict took place between the Ferret and a female water-rat 

 which was defending her young. Not seeing the first attack, the owner of the Ferret 

 thought that his favorite had wounded its nose against a spike, for it was bleeding 

 profusely, and seemed to be in great distress. Presently, however, the cause of its wounds 

 became apparent, in the person of a large rat, which darted fiercely at him from the cover 

 of a bunch of grass, and with the force of her spring fairly knocked him off his legs. 



POLECAT-FERRET. 



