[Illustration:
THE FERRET.
]
This little creature is a native of Africa, and is only known to us in a
domestic state. It is unable to bear a cold climate, and cannot live
without great care and shelter. It is usually kept in a box, with wool,
of which it makes itself a warm bed. It sleeps a great part of the day;
and the moment it awakes, it seems eager for its food, which is commonly
bread and milk. The length of the Ferret is about fourteen inches; the
tail is five inches long; its nose is sharper than that of the Weasel,
its ears are round, and its eyes red and fiery: the colour of the whole
body is a very pale yellow. When employed to clear the rabbit warren, it
must be muzzled, that it may not kill the rabbits in their holes, but
only oblige them to come out, that the warrener may catch them in his
nets. If the Ferret be suffered to go in without a muzzle, or should
free himself from it whilst in the hole, there is great danger of losing
it: for, after satisfying itself with blood, it falls asleep, and it is
then almost impossible to get at it. The most usual method is by digging
it out, or smoking the hole. If these do not succeed, it continues
during the summer among the rabbit holes, and lives upon the prey it
finds there; but is sure to perish in the winter.
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