The times., 1899-11-12
FERRETs Is RATcAToHERs.
They Are Effective Where Traps and
Poison Emil.
CFrom the indianapolis News.)

Poison Fail.
(From the indianapolis News)
"Weasels and ferrets." said a profes-
! sionaI who will ply his vocation here ior
/ the next six months, are about the same
thing. The imported ferrets, trained TO the
/ business. are larger than the weasel, that
/ is all After l am through with rat-catch-
/ ing / use my ferrets TO hunt rabbits out OF
brush piles hay, and straw stacks, which
/ is a profitable business when rabbits are
( plenty What you call rabbits over here
We in England call hares.
When man once starts in as a pro-
I fessional rat-catcher and gets to under
stand training and working ferrets, there
is such an attraction In the trade that he
never willingly gives it up. It's profit
able business, without TOO much competi-
ton
DO the ferrets ever bite you?'
'sIts a very careless and awkward maa
/ that gets bitten by trained ferret. Nhen
one is bitten by an enraged ferret the
bite is Of q very severe character, eX-
/ tremelv painful and slow TO heal
/ As the rat-catcher talked, six-months-
/ old ferret, his fiery little eyes cleaning
/ like living gems was crawling over his
\ lap and trying TO get In under his coat.
+ ''This fellow" said the rat-catcher, Is as
gentle as a kitten, and likes TO have his
. back rubbed and 10 be caressed as wen as
any cat you ever saw. When the ferret
bites a rats neck he knows exactly what
( he is doing. and his front teeth, cutting
like razors. go right through the jugular.
"Of course we generally muzzle them
when we send them in after rats, and we
always muZZle them when we send them IN
after rabbits Ii their teeth were at lib
erty they would kill the first rat or rabbit
they met, and would remain in the hole
/ sucking its blood. When we put ferret
+ into a house after rats We stop up all the
holes at the outside of the house except
one or two Over these We place bags,
and the ferrets, driving the game before
them. run the rats into the bags. We
+ keep the ferret without his ordinary meals
4 before using him. and this makes him
. keener in his chase.
ITS mighty easy to spoil a ferret. After
q young ferret has been badly bitten by
. rat. as sometimes happens, you can get
! him TO 90 into a hole muzzled. But when
/ a ferret is fun grown and has the skill and
T courage that he should have he IS holy
terror 10 rats, and is a valuable animal
vould not sell a weH-trained ferret for $50,
the price OF a good horse. Such ferret
4 should be willing TO put in pit with fifty
rats. and he could in a short time kill
every one Of them. Rats are great fighters
/ when they are cornered, but no other ami
nal Of the same size has as much courage
/ as a ferret or weasel.
In England the largest ferrets are called
( polecat ferrets, and are cross Of the two
] animals. which are much alike. In this
country the word polecst is applied 10 the
/ skunk. an entirely different animal. The
word polecat is supposed 10 be an alb
| breviation of Polish cat, and the animal
. abounds all over Europe. The mink Is
1 much like the weasel. except that II is
larger. and many depredations that are at
col rtTs4Fr0 tod fss
| the mink All these animals prowl by
| night and they frequently go many miles
in search Of food, even coming into towns
and the suburbs Of cities"
Audubon, who was a close student Of na-
I ture was delighted with the weasel or
American ferret Its long. flexible body,
/ its extraordinary length OF neck, the close
ness Of its fur it's keenness Of scent Its
wonderful! agility and quickness Of move
ment all excited his admiration.
An American writer says: THE common
weasel has sometimes been caught and car
rled of by large hawks and owls. Sorry
is the experience Of the captor in such
cases He has caught a Tartar. The cap
tive will bite into the sides OF the enemy,
so that both will fall TO the ground. the
bird moTtally wounded and the weasel COM
paratiyely unhurt. The weasels courage
| In defending itself when attacked by birds
Of prey is universally admitted; nor is it
deficient in fierce opposition TO dogs and
even men. when its nest is invaded by
either II usually kills for food, biting
| through the head into the brain with such
expertness that its victim can scarcely Ut
ter a cry Of pain. 1t usually eats the brain
| first; then the rest Of the body follows.
In pursuing mice, rats, and moles, it fol-
lows them into their runs or holes. A
weasels proximity 10 poultry yard is not
to be desired. But in barns, hayracks and
grain stacks IL is decidedly advantageous,
as it VIII surely exterminate or drive away
rats and mice"
The weasel's characteristics are noted in
two American sayings: Catch a weasel
asleep" and Sooner trust a weasel with
eggs" Stories are told that a weasel will
watch a hen on the nest for an hour. wait
| ing for a freshly laid egg.