I ran across an interesting "ferret" reference yesterday that I thought I'd
share.  In 1485, Leonardo da Vinci painted a portrait titled "Lady with an
ermine." Now either ermines in 15th century Italy were 10 times the size
they are today, or it is really "Lady with a white ferret"!  The beastie is
somewhat stylized in the medieval fashion, proving that they wouldn't hold
still for da Vinci either!
 
Rob McNish and the gang at McFerret Acres
[Posted in FML issue 1905]