70 NORTH AMERICAN MUSTELID.E. 



Charlestou, S. C, some mouths after its capture, coutinued 

 sulleu aud spiteful, hastily swallowiug 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. AYhen taken very 

 young, it may become perfectly tame, and as playful as a 

 kitten ; such was the case with a pair mentioned by Mr. B. K. 

 Eoss. 



The Pekan is sometimes forced, by failure of other sources 

 of supply, to a vegetarian diet, when it feeds freely upon beech- 

 nuts. 



In continuation of the history of this animal, which I have had 

 no opportunity of studying in the living state, the following 

 paragraphs are quoted from the authors just mentioned, as 

 illustrative of its habits and manners : — 



'^Pennant's Marten appears to prefer low swampy ground; 

 we traced one which had followed a trout stream for some dis- 

 tance, and ascertained that it had not gone into the water. 

 Marks were quite visible in different places where it had 

 scratched up the snow by the side of logs and piles of timber, 

 to seek for mice or other small quadrupeds, and we have no 

 doubt it preys upon the !N'ortliern hare, gray rabbit, and ruffed 

 grouse, as we observed a great many tracks of those species in 

 the vicinity. It further appears that this animal makes an 

 occasional meal on species which are much more closely allied 

 to it than those just mentioned. In a letter we received from 

 Mr. Fothergill, in which he furnishes us with notes on the habits 

 of some of the anioials existing near Lake Ontario, he informs 

 us that ' a Fisher was shot by a hunter named Marsh, near 

 Port Hope, who said it was up a tree, in close pursuit of a pine 

 marten, which he also brought with it.' . . . 



" Whilst residing in the northern part of our native State 

 (^ew York), thirty-five years ago, the hunters were in the habit 

 of bringing us two or three specimens of this Marten in the 

 course of a winter. They obtained them by following their 

 tracks in the snow, when the animals had been out in quest of 

 their i^rey the previous night, thus tracing them to the hollow 

 trees in which they were concealed, which they chopped down. 

 They informed us that as a tree was falling, the Fisher would 

 dart from the hollow, which was often fifty feet from the ground, 

 and leap iuto the suow, when the dogs usually seized and killed 

 him, although not without a hard struggle, as the Fisher was 



