ALmost all Dictionary-writers fetch the name Mustela,* 1.1 (Weesel) from Mus, and Telum, a Mouse, and a Wea∣pon, because of his length: some from Teele,* 1.2 longe; at length, or from far; or from Mus, and Stelloo, mouse-stealing, because they draw them out of their holes. Of old Galeoe, from the milky whitenes.* 1.3 Some Kedroo, from his fox-craft. Of late Numphitza. It is reddish on the sides, and back;* 1.4 sometimes yellowish, ever white about the thraot: Slender-bodied, short-tayled.* 1.5 The teeth lesse then the mouses; the heart small, yet in comparison with that of other beasts,* 1.6 great enough. They are found everywhere; but the white most in Northern Regions. The great ones are in Mauritania, the greatest, in the Tartesian territory without Hercules his pillars, by Cales. In Java woods they are. In the Isle Pordeselene they passe not their bounds.* 1.7 Bring them into Baeotia, they dy, or fly. They dwell in holes, clefts of rocks, haymows, and stables. He eats all things; mostwhat mice,* 1.8 and moles; he abstain not from serpents: he lies in wait for bats; he sucks Pigeon-egges, and the blood of birds killed, picks out dead mens, eyes, catches hares; he hath been seen with one in his mouth. That they bring forth at the mouth, is a tale forged out of the fained turning Galanthis Alkmenas* 1.9 Mayd, by Iuno into a Weesel. That they have a womb, is certain. The Raven, and crow hate them for sucking their egs: their voyce frights hens;* 1.10 they fight with Cats. They fight with serpents, armed only with a sprig of run, or with so wthistles; if they want these, they are worsted. Their dung, if they live in fields, and woods, smells like musk. With their age they change colour.* 1.11 They recover their whelps sight with an herb; are easily tamed, if you rub their teeth with garlick. They dare set on greater beasts. They build their holes with two doors, one North, the other South. They transport their young thence for a dayes space. Their bite is mortall, and makes mad; if it but touch a Cows udder, it is inflamed. Oyl where∣in the Weesel hath rotted is a remedy, or rub∣bing the place with the skin dry. Aristides of Locris died of the bite of a Weesel.* 1.12 The Mexicans eat them. Galen saith that corn∣ed with salt, and dried the flesh tasts like Hare. The brain dried helps not a little against swounding fits.* 1.13 The stomack stuf'd with Co∣riander-seed cures serpent bites. The lungs are good for the lungs. The liver helps giddinesse,* 1.14 and swounding, because it increases, and de∣creases with the moon. Pliny commends the gall against all venome, Matthiolus used it with Fennell-water against dimnesse of sight, and skin spots. The yard dried is soverain against the strangury. The stones, and womb, like the Eagle-stone, prevents a womans miscarrying. Lonicerus cries up the blood with juice of Plantan against the gout, Galen, against catarhs. Mathiolus magnifies the dung taken in hony, with pulse-meal, and feny-greek against swel∣lings, and wens. The Weesel whole is of use. Dioscorides commends it unbowelled, and long pickled against sting.* 1.15 Galen used the dust dried against the falling-sicknesse. Matthiolus the ashes of it burnt made with water into a dow, against head-ache, dimnesse of sight, and blood-shot, smeared on. Marcellus burned it to ashes in an old pot, and mixt them with hony on a thirsday, in the wane of the moon against swellings of the jaws. See Ambrosine about the divers uses of it.* 1.16 A Weesels foot hung with rose, and mustard-feed on the bran∣ches of a barren tree make it beare. Farriers with a piece of the skin have cured Horses of the parlous disease, called Tach. Some sprinkle seeds with the ashes on their ground to drive away field-mice; others seeth them in much water to that purpose. Some make the Weesel, and Ictis herein to differ,* 1.17 that the one is kept tame, the other goes wild. Others call the white one Hermellani; that that is white only on the breast Visela. The Rosola, or Guisela, his dung smells sweet. One is called a Salamander,* 1.18 for his many colours. The Austrian Girella, is of the bignesse of a Weezel. The Italian Curriers shew a skinne black, and glistring brought out of the cold Coasts, called the Ro∣soleus, or Romulus. Some count the Chiurca a Ferret. The Vormela mentioned by Agri∣cola, is another; and Cardan adds the Lardi∣roni, and the Genet••a.
Scaliger writes that the Chiurca hath a ferrets face, and bulk, a foxes head, lives under ground, is very fruitfull, bringing at a birth twelve at once. The tayl small, and almost bald; It self is black-haired, carrying her young under her belly in a bag. The African Ferret is as big as a great Mouse, resembling a Ferret,* 1.19 and a Squirrell, lifting up the tayl, but not over the head as the Squirrell; but high, and spread∣ing it abroad, and sitting eating on the breech, holding his food with the fore-feet squirrell-like, and tossing it. In either jaw were two longer fore-teeth, the ears roundish, the haire party-coloured from head to tayl, sandy, dusk, and white with streaks. The tayl very hand∣some, he could display it like a Pea-cock; five toes on each foot; foure forwards, the middle∣most longest; the fifth like a spur behinde. He refused no food, but liked bread best; he was tame, and went loose. On shipboard they come into the marriners laps, and stockins, so tame they are. Nieremberg calls it a Lybia Weezel.