210 THE SCOTTISH NATURALIST 



that I have been able to find is in Mr J. G. Millais's British 

 Mammals (vol. ii., p. 72), wherein he states, " I have 

 observed this colour change is also seasonal, and that the 

 yellow tint in both young and old is not permanent." A 

 later authority, Mr G. S. Miller, 1 ignores the fugitive nature 

 of the chest colour in his key to the European forms of 

 Martes, and gives different shades of cream and yellow as 

 distinctive of the various species and subspecies. 



Even Mr Millais's remark gives but little idea what a 

 considerable change takes place in the appearance of the 

 Pine Marten after the winter coat is shed, but, before going 

 on to describe it, I must explain that for three years I have 

 kept a very tame female Marten in a large open air cage, 

 and have made detailed notes of her appearance, changes of 

 pelage, etc. The year may be said to begin with the spring 

 moult, when the thick winter fur is entirely shed and a new 

 coat assumed. This summer coat is short and very dark in 

 colour ; it consists of some greyish wool overlaid with coarse 

 shiny hairs that throw off water and act as a "shower-proof" 

 covering. It is fully assumed by the end of May, though the 

 animal may still retain a few faded long hairs in the tail 

 and scattered along the back. At the beginning of June the 

 Marten has a very yellow throat, in my female almost peach- 

 coloured ; but I have seen an old male in which the tint 

 was more primrose, contrasting vividly with the very dark 

 brown of head and body. This deep brown is deeper, indeed 

 almost black, on the legs, feet, and under parts. The ears 

 are edged with buff, and give a charming finish to the 

 intelligent fox-like little head. The throat patch quickly 

 fades to a creamy white, and as the summer advances the 

 whole coat becomes lighter, indeed it is astonishing how it 

 fades ; even the cream edges to the ears, which at first were 

 so noticeable by contrast with the almost black fur, cease to 

 attract attention. At the end of September the winter coat 

 begins to grow. No fur is shed, and possibly some of the 

 summer hairs increase in length, but the alteration is chiefly 

 brought about by a new growth of thick under-wool and 



1 G. S. Miller, " Catalogue of the Mammals of Western Europe," 

 Brit. Mus. Nat. ///.,< 1912,^. 366. 



