hey have worked about three hours.

When ferrets have been fast in a rabbit burrow, their paws may be full of
down with scratching at the rabbits. Always remove this before placing
them to another burrow. Each time you handle the ferret see that the
muzzle is alright, and in muzzling with string great care should be taken
to remove the long hair on the snout from under the string; otherwise the
ferret may experience a tickling sensation, and not work so well as it
should; see also that the string is tied tightly around the ferret's
neck; if not it can easily pull off the muzzle with its paws.

Whenever a ferret is severely bitten by a Rat the best course to take
immediately you get it home is to bathe the wound in clean luke-warm
water. See that all the dirt is removed, and then apply a few drops of
sweet oil to the wound. Repeat this every four hours, until the wound is
healed, but until then do not work the ferret lest more dirt gets into
the wound. My experience proves this to be the best way to cure a ferret
when it has received a severe Rat-bite.

It is also a good plan occasionally (say once a fortnight) to skin a nice
young Rat and give it to the ferret.

SUITABLE DOGS.

And now a word or two as to what is a good dog for waterside hunting, or
working with the ferrets. I recommend a cross-bred dog, but I find that
it is always better to have the pointer breed in it, whatever other breed
you get, because the pointer always has the nose or scent. Pointer and
Airedale would be very good, or pointer and Irish terrier. I have often
noticed that pure-bred dogs are not much good for hunting in buildings or
rivers. I have frequently seen a cross-bred dog stand at one side of the
river, and if the wind has been in his favour he has winded his nose
across the river, and I have sent him over and he has turned a Rat out,
bolted it into the water, and killed it.

The best precaution to take in breaking a dog to Rat-catching and
waterside hunting (especially if it be a puppy) is to never allow anybody
but yourself to have anything to do with it, it being the worst thing
possible to let a working dog have too many masters. Break it in to the
ferrets first, and then it is a good plan to go up the river banks, with
either a dead Rat or rabbit skin, letting the dog play with it for a
while, and then burying it about 18 inches in the river bank; or you may
pull up a clod and put it under, only you must not let t