THE SMALLER CARNIVORA 



The ratels are strictly nocturnal, and make their lair by day in hollow trees, though they 

 are said not to climb. The skin is protected by thick, close hair, so that bees cannot sting 

 through the fur. The skin is also very loose. If a dog bites it, the ratel can generally twist 

 round and bite back. The African ratel is omnivorous. It eats snakes and birds. The body of 

 a cobra has been found in the stomach of one. 



THE WEASEL TRIBE. 



No animals are more bloodthirsty and carnivorous than most of the Weasel Tribe. They 

 are also well equipped both in actual weapons and in activity of body, and have powers quite out 

 of proportion to their size. They are also gifted with magnificent coats, and constitute the most 

 valuable source of choice furs. Sable, Marten, Mink, Wolverine, Ermine, Otters, and several 

 others are among the most highly prized. Their claws are sharp, but not retractile. It is 

 indeed fortunate that these creatures are so small in size, otherwise they would be among the 

 greatest enemies of animal life. As things are, they are useful in keeping down the numbers of 

 creatures which, like field-mice, moles, rabbits, and rats, might, and occasionally do, become a pest. 



THE MARTENS. 



There are two species of marten in Europe the BEECH- and the PINE-MARTEN. The latter 

 has a yellow throat, the former a white one. The fur is almost as fine as sable. All so-called 

 Canadian sables are really martens. These animals are found throughout Northern Europe and 

 Northern Asia, in Japan, and all over Northern America. In Scotland the pine-marten survives 

 in the pine forests ; also in Ireland, where it is occasionally killed on the Wicklow Mountains, 

 near Dublin, and on the Mourne Mountains. It is believed to remain in Cumberland, Devon- 

 shire, and possibly in parts of Wales. It is a tree-loving animal, and feeds mainly on squirrels, 

 which it pursues through the branches. It is also fond of fruit. Mr. Charles St. John discovered 

 this in a curious way. He noticed that his raspberries were being stolen, so set a trap among 

 the canes. Next day all he could see was a heap of newly gathered raspberry leaves where the 

 trap was. Stooping down to move them, a marten sprang up and tried to defend itself. The poor 

 beast had come to gather more raspberries, and had been caught. Unable to escape, it gathered 

 the leaves near and concealed itself. 



THE SABLE. 



This is so little different 

 from the marten that some 

 have thought it only a 

 northern variety. That is not 

 the case, as both are found 

 in the same area, and no one 

 who knows anything of form 

 and colour could mistake the 

 true sable's fur. This fur is 

 so fine and even that each 

 single hair tapers gradually 

 to a point : that is why sable 

 brushes for painting are so 

 valuable ; they always form a 

 point when wet. The price 

 of these brushes, which are of 

 genuine sable fur, though 

 made up from fragments of 

 the worst coloured or dam- 

 aged skins, varies yearly with 

 the price of sable in the market. 



Phtti by A. S. Rutland V Sent 



RATEL 



Ratels are curioutly restless little animals, -with a peculiar trot-like walk 



