274 November 1748. 



very fimilar to the Marten, is of about the 

 fame fize and commonly black: on the back 

 it has a longitudinal white ftripe and two 

 others on each fide, parallel to the former. 

 Sometimes but very feldom, fome are feen 

 which are quite white. On our return to 

 Philadelphia we faw one of thefe animals 

 not far from town near a farmer's houfe, 

 killed by dogs. And afterwards I had dur- 

 ing my flay in thefe parts feveral oppor- 

 tunities of feeing it and of hearing its qua- 

 lities. It keeps its young ones in holes in 

 the ground and in hollow trees ; for it 

 does not confine itfelf to the ground, but 

 climbs up trees with the greateft agility : 

 it is a great enemy to birds ; for it breaks 

 their eggs and devours their young ones ; 

 and if it can get into a hen rooft it foon des- 

 troys all its inhabitants. 



This animal has a particular quality by 

 which it is principally known ; when it is 

 purfued by men or dogs it runs at firn: as 

 faft as it can, or climbs upon a tree j but 

 if it is fo befet by its purfuers, as to have 

 no other way of malting its efcape, it fquirts 

 its urine upon them. This according to 

 fome it does by wetting its tail with the 

 urine whence by a fudden motion itfcatters 

 it abroad -, but others believe, that it could 

 fend its urine equally far without the help 

 of its tail j I find the former of thefe accounts 



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