82 NORTH AMERICAN MUSTELID.E. 



at the site of the eyes. These are oblique, aud situated about 

 over the angle of the mouth, midway between the suout and 

 the ears. The latter are quite high, somewhat poiuted, though 

 obtusely so, but not regularly orbicular as in M. pennanti ; their 

 height above the notch is rather greater than their width at base; 

 they are closely- hairy on both sides. The longest whiskers 

 reach to the back of the ears ; there are other bristles over the 

 eyes, on the cheeks, and chin. The end of the snout is defi- 

 nitely naked in T-shaped area, as usual in this genus. The 

 limbs are short and stout ; the feet appear small in comparison 

 with the calibre of the legs. The outstretched hind legs reach 

 more than half-way to the end of the tail. The soles are ordi- 

 narily densely furred, only the ends of the pale-colored claws 

 a])pearing. But in the frequent specimens observed with scant- 

 haired soles, the tubercles may be distinctly seen, without part- 

 ing the fur ; they have the ordinary disposition. 



The pelage is long and extremely soft aud full. It consists 

 of three kinds of fur. The first is very short, soft, and wool- 

 like, immediately investing the skin, as may be seen upon pluck- 

 ing away both kinds of the longer hairs. The second is soft 

 and kinky, like the first, but very much longer, coming to the 

 general surface of the pelt. The third is the fewer, still longer, 

 glossy hairs, bristly to the roots. 



It is almost impossible to describe the colors of the Pine 

 Marten, except in general terms, without going into the de- 

 tails of the endless diversities occasioned by age, sex, season, 

 or other incidents. The animal is " brown", of a shade from 

 orange or tawny to quite blackish ; the tail and feet are ordi- 

 narily the darkest ; the head lightest, often quite whitish ; the 

 ears are usually rimmed with whitish; on the throat, there is 

 usually a large tawny-yellowish or orange-brown patch, from 

 the chin to the fore legs, sometimes entire, sometimes broken 

 into a number of smaller, irregular blotches, sometimes want- 

 ing, sometimes prolonged on the whole under surface, when 

 the animal is bicolor, like a Stoat in summer. The general 

 *' brown " has a grayish cast, as far as the under fur is con- 

 cerned, and is overlaid with rich lustrous blackish-brown in 

 places where the long bristly hairs prevail. The claws are 

 whitish; the naked nose-pad and whiskers are black. The 

 tail occasionally shows interspersed white hairs, or a white tip. 



Upon this subject, I cannot do better than quote again from 



