I heard a story about ferret-leggings from a man who had grown up in a rural
part of England.
 
Ferrets were sometimes used for poaching (the illegal taking of game from
private property).  So to keep them hidden, the ferrets were carried in deep
trouser pockets or large pouches hung from the belt.  After a day of hunting
rabbits, the thirsty poacher would enter a local pub.
 
"I'll put this ferret down my trousers if you buy me a pint!" he would
offer.  Someone in the bar was sure to take him up on the offer.  So down
the pants legs the ferret would go, where it would promptly curl up and go
to sleep while his owner drank his free beer.
 
Linda Iroff
North Coast Ferret Shelter West
"The Raisin Retreat"
Oberlin, Ohio
http://www.oberlin.edu/~liroff/ncfs.html
[Posted in FML issue 2372]