From Andy Smith, open letter to my friends on the ferret FML and response to
the EB Editorial Staff:
 
Thank you for your response, and for listening to our concerns for the pets
many people around the world hold dear.  I look forward to confirmation that
revisions have been made in your on-line articles, as well as written
material produced by your renouned organization.
 
>From: Editorial Correspondence and Research <[log in to unmask]>
>To: Andy Smith <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: RE: Britannica Online & Merriam-Webster's
 
>Dear Mr. Smith:
>
>Please excuse our delay in responding to your message regarding information
>on ferrets in Britannica Online.
>
>In addition to the sources you mentioned, another source in our Editorial
>Library, Chuck and Fox Morton's "Ferrets: A Complete Pet Owner's Manual,"
>also points out that ferrets should be given water, not milk.  Our article
>will be revised as soon as possible.  We appreciate your taking the time to
>bring this matter to our attention.
>
>The description of ferrets as "partially domesticated" is found in
>Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary in Britannica Online.  This
>description seems to stem from the fact that the name ferret is applied
>primarily to both the domestic ferret (Mustela furo) and to the black-footed
>ferret (Mustela nigripes).  The black-footed ferret, though nearly extinct,
>has been known to establish in the wild.  You are quite correct that
>domestic ferrets, though having been in the U.S.  in large numbers for over
>200 years, have never been able to do this.  We have forwarded your message
>to the appropriate staff members at Merriam-Webster's for their comments.
>
>Thank you for your interest in  Britannica Online.
>
>Sincerely,
>
>Sherman J.  Hollar
>Editorial Division
[Posted in FML issue 1639]