THE FERRET. 



( Putorius fvro . ) 



It seems almost incredible that the 

 ancestor of any animal which has been 

 domesticated by man, should be un- 

 known. Yet this is the case regarding 

 the origin of the common Ferret. Nearly 

 all modern scientists are agreed in be- 

 lieving it to be a descendant of the pole- 

 cat (Putorius foetidus), and that it has 

 been modified through the influences of 

 domestication. Some of the earlier nat- 

 uralists thought its ancestor to have 

 been a wild species living in Africa, 

 which was finally exterminated and be- 

 came known only in the domesticated 

 state. Many of the students of animal 

 life who have considered the Ferret to 

 be a distinct species, have based their be- 

 lief on the fact that while the polecat 

 withstands the rigors of a severe climate 

 in northern Europe, the Ferret is very 

 susceptible to cold and only survives an 

 ordinary winter when protected by the 

 artificial warmth obtained under domes- 

 tication. They also consider the color of 

 the Ferret's fur (usually whitish or yel- 

 lowish and a little darker on the under- 

 side of the body), the pink eyes, and the 

 seeming gentleness and tameness of its 

 nature, as additional evidence that it is 

 a distinct species. However, it is we! 1 

 known that all albinos are delicate and 

 do not easily withstand severe changes 

 of any kind and, though the Ferret is 

 smaller and weaker than the polecat, this 

 is not an unusual characteristic of all 

 wild animals that have been bred in cap- 

 tivity for a number of generations. Al- 

 though the albino Ferret is the more com- 

 mon form, there are individuals that are 

 much darker in color, even approaching 

 that of the polecat. These are often 

 called "Polecat Ferrets." 



In the earliest classic writings of both 

 the Greeks and Romans there are records 

 of the Ferret. It was the Iktis of Aris- 

 totle, and the Yiverra of Pliny. In his 

 Natural History, Pliny speaks of the 

 Ferret as one of two varieties of the 

 weasel in the following language : "The 

 one, wild, larger than the other, and 

 known to the Greeks as the Tctis' : its 

 gall is said to be very efficacious as an 

 antidote to the sting of the asp, but of a 

 venomous nature in other respects." 

 Strabo, a celebrated Greek geographer 

 who lived at the time of Christ, and who 

 wrote a notable work in which he de- 

 scribes Europe, states that the Ferret was 

 brought from Africa into Spain. 



The Ferret is not as active as the pole- 

 cat, though in other respects it resem- 

 bles that animal very closely. It has the 

 same sanguinary instincts and even when 

 its appetite is fully satisfied, it will con- 

 tinue to attack and kill other animals for 

 the mere pleasure of satisfying an in- 

 satiable frenzy and an intense love of 

 blood. It attacks reptiles and birds as 

 well as mammals. It usually, seizes the 

 animal at the back of the neck, tearing 

 the flesh and releasing its hold only when 

 its prey is disabled. The Ferret observes 

 more caution in attacking reptiles, seem- 

 ing to realize the dangerous character 

 of venomous species. 



The Ferret is used to some extent in 

 hunting rabbits, but more generally for 

 the extermination of rats and other 

 mammalian vermin. It must be especially 

 trained for whichever purpose it is to be 

 used. As a rule, a Ferret that has only 

 been used in hunting rabbits is afraid of 

 the larger rats. Rats when cornered are 

 courageous fighters, and have been 



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