Polecat

Polecat (Putorius fwtidus), a destructive and blood-thirsty nocturnal little animal of the Weasel family, native in Britain and in Central and Northern Europe, of which the Ferret (q.v.) is a domesticated variety. The total length is about 18 inches, of which the tail counts for rather less than one-third. The fur is dark brown above and black beneath, and there are dark-brown and white markings on the face. It feeds on small mammals, poultry, pigeons, such wild birds and their eggs as come in its way, reptiles, amphibians, and fish. Holes in the ground or among faggots afford it protection in the summer, and in winter it finds shelter in outhouses or deserted buildings. Not content with satisfying its hunger and providing for its young, it often kills for the mere sake of killing. To the anal pouch, with its vile-smelling secretion, the animal owes its name of Foumart (the Foul Marten). Polecats pair in early spring, and the young; - from three to eight in number, which are often trained for rabbiting - are born in April or May. The Siberian Polecat (M. eversmanni), the Tibetan Polecat (M. larvata), the American Polecat (M. nigripes), and the Mottled Polecat (M. sarmatica), from Eastern Europe, the West of Asia, and Afghanistan, are closely allied.