The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-12-10
HANDLING FERRETs.
4 Professor Of Rat-Cntching Tells About
the Things They DO.
From n, IadirnapoIi. y,r,.

From hc IHd1nGpoiis Nrui.
"Wcascls and fcrrcs," said professional who
will ply his vocation here Tor the next six months
Arc about the same thing Ia. imported ferrc,s,
trained To the business. are larger than the wca-
selS that is all After ! am through with rat
catching Use my ierretS 10 hunt rabbits out Of
brush piles hay aud suawstacks which liz a
profitable business when rabbits are plenty What
you call rabbits We in England call harcs
When man once starts IN as professional
rat-catchcr and gets To understand training and
working fcrrciS, there is such an attraction in
the radr that he never willingly gives it Up
It's n profitable business without too much com.
petition"
do the fcrrcis ever bite YOU"
MS very careless and awkward man tina,
gets bitten by trained ferret When one Is
bitten by an cnrarcd ferret the bic is OF a very
severe character, painful and slow 10 heal
As tho rat catcher talked, six months old
ferret, his .ir,y little eyes cleaning like living
gems, was crawling over his lap and irving TO
gc, in under his coat. This fellow" said Tho
rat catcher, lis ~ gentle as = kitten. and likes
as any cat YOU ever saw. when the ferret bites
u rats neck h. knows cyactly what he is doing,
and his front irr,h, cutting like raZrrs 20 right
'of cours" W. generally muzzlc them when
them when We send them in after rabbits II
their teeth were AT liberty hey would XIII tho
ms r h + s "S s"Gs S a"H Wien TSaT We pn
ferret inc house after rats stop UP all
Over T h"s we pc" cue bn ne ,n r3'Ip r %T
driving the game before them. run the rats into
the MEs W. keep the ferret withou, his oTdi-
nary. meals before using him and this makes
him kcrnrr in HIS chase.
Us mighty easy to spoil ferret, After .
young ferret has been badly bitten by rat.
o. sometimes happens, YOU can't get him 10 20
IN" hole muzalrd rH Wien ferret is tull.
should nave, lie is a holy terror and In
Hyarssolss snimsl Would HNrlI trained
" to %a H' $40 pit S SHN G T aid sG" Ea s% could ns
short time Nil every one II them hats are
great fighters when they are, corncrcd, bu, no
iaStEes, tyirc,s are called pylcca, rits, and nd
Gl,Icd to he skunk an c,,ircl,y different animal
ton Of Polish cat, and III" animal Hbounds all
over EuIopc, r." mini, is much like the weasel.
that are attrihp,ci To tho weasel are committed
by the mink Nj these animals nruwl ~ night,
and they frcqurnlly &" many miles IN search 81
food even coming into towns aud the Surburbs
audubon, who was cInsc student Of nature,
was, delighted with the weasel ar AwcTcan ferret.
IL long, heNi bic body, It's extraordinary length
Of neck the c9scncSs II o. fur It's kccnncss Of
movement all excited lis admiration '''' NV
I'm \mcrican writer says; The commcs
wG' SC H4s SGmSmcS Tee" caught and G%Sa
pcTlcnCc ~ the cantor in such cases he has
caught a tartar The captive will bite into tho
sides ni the cncny, 50 tina, both VIII fall Ia tie
ground, the bird MORALLY Wounded and The weasel
defending itself when attacked by birds II prev
universally admitted nor is II deficient In fierce
opposition to dogs and even men, when its nest
is invaded by either II usually hillS Tor food
biting through the head into the brain with such
experiences That rs victim can ,,arccly utter a
cry of pain II usually eats the brain INST, tlcn
the rest NJ the body follows. In rurSuing mice,
rats and molcs, II follows them into tlcir runs
or holes \ weasel nroNmiN 10 n poultry ward
~ not u h. desired ltut in barns hayricks and
grain stacks II is decidedly advantageous as il
will cNt"rmlnalc or drive away rats and mice"
The WEASEL characteristics ~" noted in two
American savings Catch weasel asleep" and
"Snnncr trust a weasel with eggs 81, rics are
told that weasel will watch n hcn on the mesa
for an hour, waiting for freshly laid egg