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NATURALIST. 
WRITTEN FOR THE ORLGON NATURALIST, 
“SOME OREGON MAMMALS” 
In the heart of the Cas:ad2 and Coast 
Range mountains dweil two members of 
our Oregon fauna so closely allied as to 
be best described in one article. They 
are both ‘‘muchly named carnivcres the 
first being commonly called the Fisher but 
it is also called Pennant, Pekan, Biack Fox 
and Black Cat. The s2cond is the Pine 
Martin also known as the American Sable. 
THE BISHER 
Mustela Pennantt 
Why this animal should have the name 
of Fisher is hard to tell. It certainly does 
not fish nor, as far as the writer’s know- 
ledge goes, does it ever take willingiy to 
the water. 
In size the Fisher is about as large as 
the land otter. The color of the fur is very 
dark brown, aimost biack while in shape 
it greatly res2mbles the pine martin. 
In Oregon its commercial value is be- 
tween six and ten doilars. The Fisher is 
almost as arboreal in its habits as the squir- 
rel and frequents the dry sections of the 
woods although its fondness for frogs 
often leads it into the neighborhood of 
swamps. Besides frogs its food consists 
chiefly of mice, squirrels, birds and_ por- 
cupine and it is said to even prey upon its 
own first cousin the pine martin. 
The nest, or den is made in a hollow 
standing tree as high up as possible and 
here the female brings forth from two to 
PorRTLAND, OREGON, JULY, 1895. 
four young each spring. 
The Fisher excels the Fox in cunning 
and itis one of the hardest animals to 
trap. It seems to delight in pestering the 
trapper and it wili not oaly destroy or 
mu i.ate other animais caught but wilt un- 
cover and spring any trap set for itsaif. 
In fact there is absoiutely no method of 
setting a trap for the Fisher, but the 
writer has found the foilowing rather elab- 
orate way to work fairly well. Bait a 
No. 3 steel trap (on the pan) with a bird 
and set it against the root of a tree or fali- 
en log, conczal it but partially so the trap 
can be seen; then around and about ten 
inches distant fron it set three or moreu?- 
baited traps which must be entireiy and 
very carefully concealed. 
Fisher are found im favora>le localities 
throughout the mountains of Oregon and 
until quite recently were very pientiful 
along the Columbia River. 
THE PINE MARTIN 
Maustecu Ame teana 
The Pine Martin or American Sable is 
of adark brown color. A full grown sp2ci- 
men will measure from two to two and a 
haif feet in length of which one foot will 
comprise the tail. The pelage is iong and 
extremely soft and full cons'sting of three 
distinct kinds of fur; the first of which is 
soft, short and wool like. The second is 
soft but kinky and much longer than the 
first while the third and outermost is com- 
prised of long glossy hairs. 
The tail is far more bushy than any 
other member of same genus and not taper- 
