108 CAENIVORA. 



AMEEICAN MAETEN. 



Mustela martes. 

 French : Martre. German : Marder. 



This beautiful animal abounds in most parts of the 

 Dominion of Canada, in the province of Alaska, and in 

 the northern parts of the United States of America. 



It has for several centuries yielded its valuable fur to 

 the trapper, who has sought it in the dense forests of 

 these countries, and it is one of the chief fur-bearing 

 animals whose skin repays him for his long winter's 

 tramp and toil. 



Its fur is erroneously known under the name of sable 

 in the manufactured state, such as it is presented to 

 the public in the form of muffs, capes, boas, etc. 



The fur of this animal is used in almost every 

 civilized country, and is chiefly procured by the 

 English, French, Italian, and American traders ; it is 

 also worn to a less extent in Eussia, Turkey, Spain, and 

 Norway. The tails, which are about 5 to 8 inches 

 long, are made up separately into very valuable capes, 

 etc., and are also used in the manufacture of the very 

 finest "sable" paint-brushes. Eobes or coats are 

 occasionally made of these skins by the North American 

 Indians, who match and sew them beautifully. Nothing 

 is lost ; even the skins of the paws and throat, or gills 

 as they are usually called, are made into valuable coat- 

 linings, tobacco-pouches, etc. These pieces are sold by 

 the pound to German, Turkish, and other traders. The 

 Hudson's Bay Company imjDorts annually about 70,000 

 skins ; 64,689 skins were sold by them in 1891, and 

 about 38,412 by other firms in the same year. 



