Ferrets And Ferreting - Containing Instructions For The Breeding, Management, And Working Of Ferrets

By B. C. Saward

Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Read Books Ltd.
• Release date: Apr 25, 2013
• ISBN: 9781447498513

Book preview

Ferrets and Ferreting.

Origin.

THE ferret (Mustela furo) has its place in natura history in the family Mustelidœ, which includes the otters, skunks, polecats, and the genus mustela, or weasels. The true ferret was originally a native of Africa, whence it was imported into Spain for the purpose of destroying rabbits, with which that country was overrun, and from which place it has since spread over various other European states; it has not, however become acclimatised in this country, nor even in France, and one getting loose, except in the warmth of summer, will speedily perish in the variable temperature of our clime.

This is a well established fact, known to, and acknowledged by, every ferret keeper, and goes some way to disprove the theory entertained by some naturalists, that the ferret is a long domesticated polecat.

The comparative coarseness of the latter animal, and the fact that it breeds but once a year, whilst the ferret breeds twice a year, also bears against the polecat origin, although, when we remember the great changes that long domestication works in the lower animal, it must be admitted that these reasons alone are not conclusive against the theory.

Ancient use of Ferrets.

The use of ferrets in hunting and bolting rabbits is not of modern origin, being known to, and practised by the ancients, its mode of working their burrows and expelling the tenants so that they could be taken in nets or, as they have been called by our warreners, flans, having been described by Pliny.

We do not know at what date ferrets were introduced into this country, or used for taking rabbits, but, in the items of expenditure of Edward I., there appears the following, the date being the year 1286, as given by Jesse: Richard Ferreter (Furrettar), for the keep of his ferrets receiving per day Id. from the first day of May until the last day of July, both days counted, for 123 days, 10s. 3d., and again: "Richard