h of its life in the trees in search
of its prey. Its general appearance is truly represented in our
illustration, its fur being of a rich brown color, with a lighter
or white patch on the throat. Its total length, including the tail,
is about twenty-eight or thirty inches, of which the tail represents
ten inches. It is mostly confined to the forests in the far north,
and is comparatively rare further south than the latitude of Maine
and the lakes. The fur of the pine marten is of considerable value,
particularly if the animal be killed in the winter. A really fine
skin is but little inferior to the celebrated sable, and is hardly
distinguishable from it. The hair is long and glossy, and the under
fur is beautifully soft and very thick. The dark colored skins are
the most valuable. Although so nearly like the sable, the same
comparison does not exist in regard to their proportionate market
values, the marten fur bringing a much lower price.

[Illustration]

The marten is a shy and wary animal, withdrawing itself as far
as possible from the sight of man, and building its habitation in
the tops of trees, often seizing on the ready nest of some squirrel
or bird, and adapting it to its purposes.

[Page 193]
It is a night prowler, and in the dark hours it traverses the trunks
and branches of the trees in search of its prey. It moves with
wonderful stealth and activity, and is enabled by its rapid and
silent approach to steal unnoticed on many an unfortunate bird
or squirrel, seizing it in its deadly grip before the startled
creature can think to escape. Coming across a bird's nest, it makes
sad havoc with the eggs or young, often adding the parent bird
to his list of victims. Rabbits, partridges, and mice also fall
into the marten's "bill of fare," and the list is often further
increased by a visit to a poultry yard, when the animal murders
and eats all it can and kills the rest for sport. In pouncing upon
its prey, the marten invariably seizes its victim by the throat,
often dispatching the luckless creature with a single bite.

The martens generally are said to be very susceptible to human
influence when taken young, and are very lively in a state of
domestication. They are among the most graceful of animals, and
in place of the disagreeable scent which renders many of their
tribe offensive, this creature possesses an odor which is quite
agreeable, and for this reason is often called the sweet marten
in contradistin