of the. Mackenzie River District. 25 



carefully, and set a bait at some distance on each side. Into this 

 it tumbled. From the size of its foot-prints my impression all 

 along was that it was a small wolverine that was annoying me, 

 and I was surprised to find it to be a fisher. It shewed good fight, 

 hissed at me much like an enraged cat, biting at the iron trap, 

 and snapping at my legs. A blow on the nose turned it over 

 when I completed its death by compressing the heart with my 

 foot until it ceased to beat. The skin when stretched for drying 

 was fully as large as a middle sized otter, and very strong, in 

 this respect resembling that of a wolverine. 



In their habits the fishers resemble the martins. Their food 

 is much the same, but they do not seem to keep so generally in 

 the woods. They are not so nocturnal in their wanderings as the 

 foxes. An old fisher is nearly as great an infliction to a martin 

 trapper as a wolverine. It is an exceedingly powerful animal for 

 its size, and will tear down the wooden traps with ease. Its re- 

 gularity in visiting them is exemplary. In one quality it is how- 

 ever superior to the wolverine, which is that it leaves the sticks of 

 the traps lying where they where planted ; while the other beast 

 if it can discover nothing better to hide, will cache them some 

 distance off". It prefers flesh meat to fish, is not very cunning, 

 and is caught without diflSculty in the steel-trap. Fishers are caught 

 by methods similar to those employed in fox-trapping. 



MusTELA Americana. — Turton, 



PinCj or American Martin. 



Sp. ch. Legs and tail blackish, general color a deep and rich 

 orange brown clouded with black along the back. Head generally 

 light coloured, with the tips of the ears and a stripe along the 

 cheeks yellowish white. A broad orange patch is visible on the 

 throat in some, in others this is nearly pure white, and in many 

 entirely wanting. Sometimes, but rarely, the tip of the tail is 

 white. Tail vertebrae about a third of the length of the body, 

 often longer, outstretched hind feet reach nearly to the end of the 

 tail with the hairs. 



The M. Americana^ as found in this District, is smaller than the 

 fisher, but larger than the ermine weasels. In its shape it is less 

 muscular, but more graceful than the former of these animals. 

 Its head is somewhat depressed, acute, and broader than might be 

 looked for in so lengthened a skull. The ears are slightly pointed 



