MAMMALS OF MINNESOTA. 105 
The body of the Marten is equal to that of a small cat, the 
entire length being about 30 inches, the tail measuring 12. 
The legs are short and strong. The tail is bushy and full 
toward the end, in contrast to the pekan. The head is broadly 
triangular and cat-like, the eyes being oblique and situated half 
way from snout to ears, which latter are high and rather pointed. 
The soles are furred, and the pelage throughout is dense, soft, - 
and full. The color is brown of various shades, ranging from 
almost orange to nearly black, the latter being most valuable. 
On the throat there is a patch of yellowish or tawny, while the 
whole under surface is lighter than the upper. The fur is full 
from the end of October to the beginning of May. Toward the 
end of summer, after the moult, a fine short fur appears re- 
sembling that of a mink ; it gradually lengthens as winter ap- 
proaches, and is considered prime after the first snow fall. 
‘The American animal agrees with the European M. martes so 
closely in external appearance as to make it impossible to dis- 
cover distinctive features, but the osteological features are said 
to be well marked. It is probably otherwise with M. zebellina, 
the true sable, which cannot at present be distinguished. The 
four species are certainly very closely allied, and show the 
martens to be of recent origin. 
In the Bul of the U. S. Geological and Geographical Survey, 
vol. II, No. 4, Mr. J. A. Allen summarizes a large number of 
facts illustrating the geographical variation in this species, yet 
concludes that the three species, foina, americana and martes, 
are sufficiently distinct. 
The rocky, woody district on the north shore of lake Superior 
and the national boundary is noted for its valuable black mar- 
tens. The northern limit coincides with that of the forests. 
‘‘Sable are ordinarily captured in wooden traps of very 
simple construction, made on the spot. The traps are a little 
enclosure of stakes and brush in which the bait is placed upon 
a trigger, with a short upright stick supporting a log of wood ; 
the animal is shut off from the bait in any but the desired direec- 
tion, and the log falls upon the victim with the slightest 
disturbance. A line of such traps, several to the mile, often 
extends many miles. The bait is any kind of meat, a mouse, 
squirrel, piece of fish, or bird’s head. One of the greatest 
obstacles that the sable hunter has to contend with, in many 
localities, is the persistent destruction of his traps by the 
wolverine and pekan, both of which display great cunning 
ay 
