>ferrets to hunt rabbits was described by Strabo and Pliny.  (I have heard
>reports that a ferret was drawn on an Egyptian heiroglyphic, but have not
>been able to confirm it.  Anyone know the original source?)
 
Cool post, Bob! ;)
 
I'm not sure if this helps at all, but it is something I have been puzzling
about for a little while....I have found pictures of a weasely looking
creature in some books on ancient Egypt which is referred to as an
ichneumon, but none of the sources I have found definitively says what the
creature is.  From looks, I'd say a ferret is possible.
 
Here's what one source I have has to say on the creature:
    "Also referred to as the Egyptian Rat, the ichneumon was said to be a
    carnivorous animal resembling the Indian mongoose or a weasel.  It is
    reputed to be the deadly enemy of the crocodile and the asp or aspis,
    but the authories differed: Aristotle says it fights only the asp,
    but Pliny, Strabo, Aelian, Oppian, and Solinus say it was the enemy
    of both the asp and the crocodile.  Strabo says it was worshipped at
    Herakleopolis as the destroyer of crocodiles, while Martial says the
    ichneumon was tamed and kept as a pet in Rome and that it is depicted
    in Pompeii as attacking a snake."
    (from _Symbolic & Mythological Animals_ by J.C. Cooper)
 
The entry goes on to talk about how it attacked asps or asp eggs (reports
vary) and how it was supposed to attack crocodiles by darting in its mouth
(after getting a protective coating of mud) and eating its entrails out. It
says that references to the ichneumon are seen in classical literature, but
are very rare in the Middle Ages or later.
 
I've seen line drawings of it in one of Budge's books on ancient Egypt, if
I remember right. I do forget which one though. (If you don't know who
Budge is, go to your local bookstore/library and find the ancient egyptian
section. He'll be there. Although his books are widely available, the
"expert opinion" on them is that his translations are faulty/obsolete, but
there is more to his books than just translations, so they are still useful.)
 
Does anybody know if this famed destroyer of crocodiles and snakes was
an early version of our own beloved fur-snakes?
 
-kim,squirt(I ain't afraid of no croc's! My water bowl is a crock.),
pippi(Tamer of Serpents - she stepped on one once),atlas (Snakes...why'd
it have to be snakes?), and Hijinx (Don't you dare call me an Egyptian Rat!)
 
Kimberly Burkard     |             _    Everything I needed to know in life,
Eastman Kodak Company|      _____C .._. I learned from my ferret:
Rochester, New York  | ____/     \___/  Frolic and dance for joy often, have
[log in to unmask]<____/\_---\_\    no fear or worries, and enjoy life.
[Posted in FML issue 1411]