Hi!
 
Remember me?
 
I polled readers of this list regarding the age of your ferrets.  Several of
you graciously replied - thanks very much.
 
You might be wondering what has happened.  What has happened so far is
simply transcription of the data into a simplistic database, formatted to be
easily importable into spreadsheets or database software.  In the course of
transcription, consideration is given to accuracy and validity with respect
to sampling for a raw age analysis, as well as a bearing on two other
factors : color and region.
 
I still hope to wrap up within ten days.  Look for a summary post in this
list, with complete documentation, explanation, conclusions and the database
available either via anonymous ftp or http at a number of sites.
 
As a preview, let me just say that the sample appears to be too small, and
the method of surveying for anecdotal data is far too inaccurate to provide
more than an intuitive answer to the questions 'How long do Ferrets Live?' I
will try to justify that a "Framingham" approach is the only correct way to
accurately determine anything about ferret life-span.
 
See y'all in about a week.
 
Alan Horne, much chastened...
[Posted in FML issue 1910]