According to my sources, European polecats are not white (at least not
commonly); my guess would be that those are domestic ferrets.  The taxonomic
differences are subtle otherwise from what I've read, so it would be hard to
tell.
 
I haven't seen Legends of the Fall, but other FMLers have reported that pet
as a ferret.  Badgers are _large_ and _broad_ compared to ferrets, and have
a white streak down the middle of the forehead (like some ferrets can).
They also tend towards a nasty temperament, and would not be a wise choice
as a pet - their teeth can do serious damage, and I would guess that they
would at the very least become unmanageable at sexual maturity, like many
wild animals taken in as pets.
 
- Denise (Badger State [Wisconsin] born and raised; in the process of
compiling the unofficial ferret TV/movie role list) - finally at her new
E-mail address!
--
Denise Voskuil - [log in to unmask]
Home page under continual improvement= http://www.geopages.com/Colosseum/1242/
URL changing within 30 days; watch this space for more info...
"There is more to life than increasing its speed." - Mahatma Gandhi
[Posted in FML issue 1284]