Marten 919 



winter staple of the species, and many of these animals die of 

 starvation in the 'off' years of the rowan. 



The Marten, then, hke everything else, is omnivorous, but 

 I am satisfied that Mice constitute a larger proportion of its 

 food than any other on its bill of flesh fare. 



It is interesting to note that the species never ventures 

 near the habitation of man in the settlements, so that it is un- 

 known as a depredator of the hen-yard. In the North, also, 

 it usually shuns the vicinity of the trading posts. In this it 

 differs from all of its near kin in America as well as from its 

 cousin, the Marten of Europe. 



Each fresh investigation adds more creatures to the list stor- 



. . . . AGE 



of those that lay up for a rainy day. It is surprising to find 

 that most of the Weasels store food, when they have a surplus. 

 Linklater says that the Marten habitually does so. It eats as 

 much as it can of the new catch, then buries the rest. This is 

 true storage because, by setting a trap at the buried piece, you 

 are sure to get your Marten next day. 



The Fisher and Lynx are supposed to be the chief enemies ene- 

 of the Marten. They are able to take it by open onslaught, 

 therefore, doubtless, in the great struggle they count for little 

 as destroyers. The really dangerous foes are likely to be much 

 less dramatic and obvious. We shall probably find that the 

 Marten's numbers are kept down by something as intangible 

 as it is unexpected and irresistible, possibly a parasite, a disease, 

 starvation, some evil habit of the race, or, as MacFarlane sug- 

 gests, an inexplicable periodic non-fertility of the females, a 

 non-fertility that I should not be surprised to find a consequence 

 of over-abundant food, which is often as bad as starvation in 

 its effect on the reproductive organs. 



An Adirondack acquaintance, Bert A. Dobson, was 

 favoured with an interesting peep into Marten life, and told 

 me of it as follows: November 14, 1900, he had posted himself 

 in a ravine on a Deer path near Moosehead Pond, to wait for 



