NATURAL HISTORY. 65 



habits. They inhabit almost every part of the world, and 

 procure their food by creeping on the unsuspecting victim, 

 generally a rabbit, rat, or bird, and then suddenly darting at 

 it and piercing its neck with their sharp teeth. Almost 

 all the weasels devour the brain and suck the blood of their 

 prey, but seldom touch the flesh. 



Two kinds of Martens inhabit England, named, from their 

 favourite haunts, the Pine and the Beech Marten. The Pine 

 Marten is not uncommon in Derbyshire, where it is much 

 too fond of chickens and ducklings to be a desirable neighbour. 

 This animal, as well as the Sable, is much sought after on 

 account of its skin, which furnishes a beautiful fur, not much 

 inferior to that of the Sable. 



The SABLE, long famous for its costly fur, which is thought 

 worthy to adorn the coronation robes of a monarch, inhabits 

 Siberia. The chase, or rather the search, after these animals 

 is attended with dreadful hardships and great danger. Some- 

 times a sable will not be seen ibr days ; sometimes the bait of 

 the trap is eaten by other animals, such as gluttons, &c. ; 

 sometimes the hunter's provisions fail ; he spends days and 

 nights in the midst of snow, surrounded by interminable pine 

 forests, and exposed to the piercing blasts of the tempest. 

 Many hunters lose their lives in these terrible solitudes, over- 

 whelmed by snow-storms, or famished with hunger. 



A species of Sable (Maries leucopus) inhabits North 

 America. The hair of the sable will turn either w r ay, and in 

 this respect differs from the fur of other animals. The skins 

 are very valuable, varying from one to ten pounds in price, 

 according to the quality. 



MARTES. 



Zibellina, the Salic. 



