SMALLER MAAIMALS OF NORTH AMERICA 



577 



the pursuit of it goes on winter after winter in 

 all the remote forests of the North, is a source 

 of clanger threatening the existence of the 

 species. The full-grown animal w-eighs five or 

 six pounds and measures nearly three feet in 

 lengtli. 



The martens are circumpolar in distribution, 

 and the several species occupy northern lands 

 from England, Europe, and northern Asia to 

 North America. Of the Old World species, the 

 Siberian sable is best known on account of the 

 beauty of its fine, rich fur, which renders it 

 the most valued of all in the fur markets of 

 the world. 



The North American marten is a close rela- 

 tive of the Siberian species, and occupies all 

 the wooded parts of North America from the 

 northern limit of trees southward in the for- 

 ested mountains to Pennsylvania, New Mexico, 

 and the southern part of the Sierra Nevada in 

 California. 



Like other members of the weasel tribe, the 

 marten is a fierce and merciless creature of ra- 

 pine, but unlike the mink and weasel, it avoids 

 the abodes of man and loves the remotest 

 depths of the wilderness. ■ 



Martens are endowed with an exceedingly 

 nervous and excitable temperament, combined 

 with all the flashing quickness of weasels. They 

 are more restless than any other among the 

 larger species of their notably restless tribe, 

 and couple with this extraordinary and tire- 

 less vigor. This is admirably shown in cap- 

 tivity, when by the hour they dart back and 

 forth, up and down and around their cages 

 with almost incredible speed. 



In the forest they climb trees and jump from 

 branch to branch with all the agility of a 

 squirrel — in fact, they pursue and capture red 

 squirrels in fair chase, and have been seen in 

 pursuit of the big California gray squirrel 

 (Sciurus grisens). On the ground they move 

 about quickly, hunting weasel-like, under brush 

 piles and other cover. 



Practically every living thing within their 

 power falls victim to their rapacity. They eat 

 minks, weasels, squirrels, chipmunks, wood rats, 

 mice of many kinds, conies, snowshoe hares, 

 ruffed and spruce grouse, and smaller birds of 

 all kinds and their eggs, as well as frogs, fish, 

 beetles, crickets, beechnuts, and a variety of 

 small wild fruits. Unlike minks and weasels, 

 they are not known to kill wantonly more than 

 they need for food. 



They make nests of grass, moss, and leaves 

 in hollow trees, under logs, among rocks, and 

 in holes in the ground. Sometimes they have 

 been found in possession of a red squirrel's 

 nest, probably after having slain and devoured 

 the owner. 



The young, varying from one to eight in 

 number, are born in April or May. At first 

 they are naked and helpless, but when large 

 enough accompany the mother on her search 

 for food. This period of schooling lasts until 

 they are forced to take up their separate lives 

 with the approach of winter. Thenceforth they 

 are among the most solitary of animals, show- 



ing fierce antagonism toward one another 

 whenever they meet, and associating only dur- 

 ing a brief period in the mating season m 

 February or March. Martens show a cold- 

 blooded ferocity toward one another that often 

 renders it dangerous to put two or more in 

 the same cage. When placed in a cage to- 

 gether the male very commonly kills the female 

 by biting her through the skull. At times they 

 utter a loud, shrill squall or shriek, and in 

 traps hiss, growl, and sometimes bark. 



Among the dense forests of spruce and lodge- 

 pole pine high up in the mountains of Colorado, 

 martens are sometimes hunted on skis in mid- 

 winter, an exciting and often, on these rugged 

 slopes, a dangerous sport. They are not wary 

 about traps and are readily caught by dead- 

 falls and other rude contrivances as well as 

 by steel traps. In Colorado and Montana hun- 

 dreds of their skins are taken by trappers every 

 winter. 



In Siberia the sable has been exterminated 

 by hunting in many districts, and before the 

 present w^ar began had become so scarce in 

 others that the Russian Government closed the 

 season for them for a period of years over 

 nearly all of their range. The same reduction 

 in the numbers of our marten has occurred in 

 most parts of Alaska and elsewhere in its range, 

 and its only hope against extermination lies in 

 stringent protection. Protective regulations are 

 already in force in Alaska. 



During the early fur-trading days in north- 

 ern Canada the number of martens varied be- 

 tween comparative abundance and rarity. These 

 variations were said to occur about every ten 

 years. Some claimed the decrease was due to 

 a migration which the martens were believed 

 to make from one region to another, just as 

 was believed of the lynx. The lack of a corre- 

 sponding increase in surrounding districts, 

 where trading posts were located, effectually 

 disproved the migration theory. There is little 

 doubt that the increase of martens was due to 

 a reproductive response to a plentiful food 

 supply during years when mice or snowshoe 

 hares were abundant and their decrease was 

 due to a lessening of the numbers of these food 

 animals. 



Efforts are being made to domesticate mar- 

 tens and raise them for their skins on fur 

 farms. The main difficulty so far encountered 

 lies in the fiendish manner in which the old 

 males kill the females and the younger males. 

 Although always nervous, they are not difficult 

 to tame, and will be most entertaining and at- 

 tractive animals to rear if their savage natures 

 can be sufficiently overcome. 



THE LITTLE SPOTTED SKUNK 

 (Spiiogale putorius and its relatives) 



(For iHustratiou, sec page 558) 



The skunks form a distinct section of the 

 weasel family, limited to North and South 

 .America. The group is divided into three well- 

 marked sections. One of these, the little spot- 



