WEASEL FAMILY 



117 



The largest of all the Martens is an animal 

 rejoicing in a number of names both popular 

 and scientific, being variously designated as the 

 " Pekan," " Fisher," " Pennant's Marten," 

 " Black Fox," and " Black Cat." The two latter 

 titles are due to the large size, stout build and 

 dark color of the animal, which in point of form 

 may be more aptly compared to a Fox than to 

 a Weasel. Its general color is blackish brown, 

 becoming gray on the head and neck ; while the 

 throat is distinguished by the absence of the 

 light-colored patch distinctive of all the other 

 species. It ranges over the greater part of 

 North America, as far north as Alaska and 

 south to the upper part of Texas. Continual 

 hunting has, however, exterminated the animal 

 from the more settled districts of the United 

 States east of the Mississippi. 



Dr. Merriam observes that " the name Fisher 

 is somewhat of a misnomer, for these animals 

 commonly frequent deep swamps and wooded 

 mountain sides, away from the immediate vicin- 

 age of the water, and are not known to catch 

 fish for themselves as do the Mink and Otter. 

 However, they are fond of fish, and never neg- 

 lect to devour those that chance to fall in their 

 way. They prey chiefly upon hares, squirrels, 

 mice, grouse, small birds and frogs, and are 

 said to eat snakes. They also catch and feed 

 upon their own congener, the Marten, and make 

 a practice of devouring all that they discover in 

 dead-falls and steel-traps. It also appears that 

 Porcupines compose a considerable proportion of 

 their food in some districts ; specimens being 

 sometimes killed with numbers of Porcupine- 

 quills in their skin and flesh." 



This Marten breeds but once a year; it brings 

 forth its young in the hollow of a tree, usually 

 thirty or forty feet from the ground. Two, 

 three, and four young are produced in. a litter. 

 It has been known to offer desperate resistance 

 in defense of its young, as on one occasion men- 

 tioned by Audubon. This animal, a young one, 

 was kept in confinement for several days. " It 

 was voracious, and very spiteful, growling, snarl- 

 ing and spitting when approached, but it did not 

 appear to suffer much uneasiness from being 

 held in captivity, as, like many other predacious 

 quadrupeds, it grew fat, being better supplied 

 with food than when it had been obliged to cater 

 for itself in the woods." Another mentioned 

 by the same author as having been exhibited in 

 a menagerie in Charleston, S. C, some months 

 after its capture, continued sullen and spiteful, 

 hastily swallowing its food nearly whole, and 

 then retiring in growling humor to a dark corner 



of its cage. Hearne, however, has remarked 

 that the animal is easily tamed, and shows some 

 affection at times. When taken very young, it 

 may become perfectly tame, and as playful as 

 a kitten. The Pekan is sometimes forced, by 

 failure of other sources of supply, to a vege- 

 tarian diet, when it feeds freely upon beechnuts. 



One hunter thus describes an encounter with 

 tliis animal. " A servant, on one occasion, came 

 to us before daylight, asking us to shoot a Rac- 

 coon for him, which, after having been chased 

 the previous night, had taken to so large a tree 

 that he neither felt disposed to climb it nor cut 

 it down. On our arrival at the place, it was 

 already light, and the dogs were barking furi- 

 ously at the foot of the tree. We soon perceived 

 that instead of being a Raccoon, the animal was 

 a far more rare and interesting species, a Fisher. 

 As we were anxious to study its habits we did 

 not immediately shoot, but teased it by shaking 

 some grape vines that had crept up nearly to 

 the top of the tree. The animal not only became 

 thoroughly frightened, but furious; he leaped 

 from branch to branch, showing his teeth and 

 growling at the same time ; now and then he 

 ran half-way down the trunk of the tree, elevat- 

 ing his back in the manner of an angry cat, and 

 we every moment expected to see him leap off 

 and fall among the dogs. He was brought down 

 after several discharges of the gun. He seemed 

 extremely tenacious of life, and was game to the 

 last, holding on to the nose of a dog with a 

 dying grasp. The animal proved to be a male ; 

 the body measured twenty-five inches, and the 

 tail, including the fur, fifteen. The servant who 

 had traced him informed us that he appeared 

 to have far less speed than a Fox, that he ran 

 for ten minutes through a swamp in a straight 

 direction and then took to a tree. 



" Species that are decidedly nocturnal in their 

 habits frequently may be seen moving about by 

 day during the period when they are engaged in 

 providing for their young. Thus the Raccoon, 

 the Opossum, and all our Hares, are constantly 

 met with in spring, and early summer, in the 

 morning and afternoon, while in autumn and 

 winter they only move about by night. In the 

 many Fox hunts, in which our neighbors were 

 from time to time engaged, not far from our 

 residence at the north, we never heard of their 

 having encountered a single Fisher, in the day- 

 time ; but when they traversed the same grounds 

 at night, in search of raccoons, it was not un- 

 usual for them to discover and capture this 

 species. We were informed by trappers that 



