MUSTELID^E. 



207 



soft, warm fur, but always retains a somewhat unpleas- 

 ant odor. The polecat attains fifteen or sixteen inches 

 in length, without including the tail. The name polecat 



FIG. 13;. 



POLECAT (Mustela putorius). 



is sometimes applied to the skunk, which is an entirely 

 different animal. The ferret, which is often employed 

 in hunting rabbits and rats, is a sort of tamed polecat. 



The wolverene or glutton of Canada is the largest of 

 the mustelidae, and next comes the pekan or wood-shock, 



FIG. 132. 



THE GLUTTON (Gulo luscus.) 



a sort of marten, whose length from the tip of his nose 

 to the end of his tail may be four and a half feet. The 

 pekan is often called fisher and black-fox. 



The weasels and martens are brown, but the neck of 



