XI—The reproductive processes of certain mammals. Part IX—Growth and reproduction in the stoat ( Mustela erminea )

Abstract

As the result of the investigations of Marshall (1904), Robinson (1918), Hammond and Marshall (1930), Allanson (1932) and others, we have an extensive knowledge of the reproductive cycle of the domestic ferret, but naturally, far less is known about the wild Mustelidae in Great Britain. Marshall and Jolly (1905), in reviewing the literature on the reproductive cycle in Carnivores, comment on the variability in this group and particularly on the frequent recurrence of oestrus in certain animals (such as the ferret, the domestic cat, and some of the larger Carnivora in Zoological Gardens), under conditions of captivity or domestication. A further example is found in the otter, which usually has one litter a year between October and February (Millais, 1905). Cocks (1881) states that the female otter in the absence of the male came on heat almost every month. When a male was put with this animal, mating took place on July 17 and August 12, and as the result of the second mating two young were born on October 12, gestation having lasted 61 days. It remains uncertain whether the recurrence of oestrus should be attributed to the conditions of captivity.