OH here's a good one folks.  From a library book that crossed my hands today
"Domesticated Animals from Early Times" by Juliet Clutton-Brock (1981).  The
section is darned small and in the same section is rabbits/hares.  This
chick sounds like she didn't do much research about ferrets nowadays nor has
seen that painting I was talking about a short while ago by Michaelangelo of
The Lady with an Ermine.  Here's some select bits:
 
"In the words of the ninth edition of the Encyclopaedia Brittannica (is it
just me, or does that sound like an OLD edition??  Not to mention that she
was too lazy to do her own research to get the facts) the ferret is an
animal that although exhibiting considerable tameness, seems incapable of
attachment (yeah right!) and when not properly fed or when otherwise
irritated is apt to give painful evidence of its native ferocity.  (Hell,
don't feed *me* for several hours and just watch out!!!) In a word, it is
not a trustworthy pet but is a useful partner in the hunting of rabbits
and rats.  .... blah, blah, blah ....."
 
There's also a bit here - "Ferrets are nearly always bred in the albino
form (really???), that is yellowish-white with red eyes ... The white
colour of the ferret is a definite advantage in that is allows the animal
to be easily seen and re-captured when taken out hunting."
 
She then says in her conclusion (this whole bit on ferrets is just over a
page - pretty pathetic for something that's been domesticated for thousands
of years!!!) - "The ferret, whatever its specific origin, is, like the
polecat, a weasel-like animal beloning to the family Mustelidae.  These are
all solitary creatures (NOT!!!!) and it would not be expected that they
could be tamed in the way that can be achieved with a social carnivore such
as the dog.  (BIMBO!!) They always remain erratic and recalcitrant in their
behaviour."
 
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Well, overall it seems like Juliet here didn't do he homework and just threw
in the bit about ferrets because she felt she had to.  Gee, any outsider
reading this load of crap would easily side with CaCa Land and their narrow
minded ways - it's junk like this that gives our little fuzz-butts a bad
name!!!
 
At least we're all MUCH smarter than that and know how wonderful our
little ones are - so Ppppppppppttttttttttttttttt to her!!!
 
Anyways - take care and hugs to all!
 
George, Jasper and the Tribe
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Georgette Peters                            Nothing is fool-proof to a
Steacie Science Library                     sufficiently talented fool.
York University
4700 Keele Street                                     *****
North York, Ontario                                 *********
M3J 1P3                                               *****
(416)736-5084
                                             Dook, dook, bjork, bjork!
e-mail - [log in to unmask]                        - Swedish Ferret
 
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[Posted in FML issue 2277]