226 



THE ZOOLOGIST. 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



MA MM ALIA. 



An Instance of Affection evinced by Ferrets for their Feeder. — 



Some years ago, when I used to keep Ferrets, I found that they were 

 subject to take distemper from any dogs suffering from that disease, 

 and none attacked by it ever recovered. I had a doe Ferret (very 

 tame and a great pet) which some weeks after having a litter of 

 six young ones was unfortunately attacked by that disease, the in- 

 fection being communicated by a young retriever that had access to 

 the room in which the Ferrets were kept. The poor animal, after 

 suffering for some days, died, leaving the six little ones to starve ; 

 these were very small, only about five inches in length, and so young 

 that their eyes were still unopened. However, not wishing to see the 

 little creatures die of starvation, my sister made a nest for them of 

 some woollen cloth lined with wool, and placed in a box near the 

 kitchen fire, and after a great deal of patient trouble induced them to 

 take a little milk from a teaspoon, though at first it had to be put 

 into their mouths, until they began to drink from the spoon. This 

 mode of feeding was continued for over a week, when I thought of 

 giving them soft meat with the blood in it and chopped up into a pulp, 

 so that they could suck it down. I began with rabbits' livers, taken 

 from fresh-killed rabbits and pulped while warm, so that the blood 

 was well mixed. It was extraordinary to see with what avidity the 

 little blind creatures took to this food along with the milk, and they 

 improved so rapidly on it that I continued it until their eyes were 

 open, and they were able to feed on the usual food of soaked bread 

 and milk. On account of being hand-fed from so young an age they 

 grew up very tame and gentle, and evinced the greatest attachment 

 to my sister ; so much so that, when they were nearly full-grown, she 

 used on fine days to take them out for exercise on the lawn, when 

 they would follow her about like a pack of little hounds, and, as 

 the haymaking season was on, she would at times sit on a hay- 

 cock while the Ferrets were playing about, but they never went 

 any distance away or out of sight. Frequently, to amuse herself 

 and friends by testing the affection of the Ferrets, she used to 



