130 THE MARTEN 



or square jaws. The sizes range from 6 in. (by inch increase) 

 to 12 in. jaws. The trap may be set in front of a bait, such as a 

 disembowelled rabbit, with a close passage opening only on to the 

 trap, which in the smaller sizes is not usually baited on the table, 

 while the larger ones generally are, so that the animal is taken 

 by the head, and by teeth and spikes quickly dispatched. Of course, 

 trapping can be effected at the mouths of earths, or the entrances 

 in rocks or cliffs, the trap in all cases being concealed, only the bait 

 being visible. A new trap must not only be hidden but " faked " 

 in some manner to counteract suspicion. The mere fact that bait 

 is used is not of itself sufficient, precaution must be taken to dull 

 the newness of the steel or assimilate its appearance to its surround- 

 ings when set by rubbing it with mud, clay, or by artfully concealing 

 its presence with grass, leaves, or with whatever the trapper's 

 experience and knowledge teaches him to be best suited for such a 

 purpose. In setting a steel trap the careful trapper generally 

 wears gloves, in order to avoid the possibility of any human scent 

 being left on the trap, material with which it is concealed, or on 

 the ground, grass, or twigs in its vicinity. 



MARTEN. This member of the weasel family can only be said 

 to be useful in keeping down squirrels, and when descended to the 

 ground preying upon mice, rats, and voles, all enemies of the 

 forester's and gardener's cultures, also favouring those of the 

 farmer in respect of vegetable crops. But the marten's depre- 

 dations on winged and ground game, also in the poultry-yard, are so 

 pronounced that neither the game-preserver nor poultry-farmer 

 loses opportunity of effecting its destruction. 



POLECAT. The ravages this animal commits in game-preserves, 

 winged and ground game alike falling victims to its rapacity, and 

 in the farmyard by killing far more victims than it can eat, sparing 

 neither fowls and ducks, nor geese and turkeys, or pigeons and 

 tame rabbits, provokes such repression that it is a rare creature. 

 The game-preserver, poultry-farmer, rabbit-warrener, and pigeon- 

 breeder has no use for the polecat, save that it destroys rats and 

 mice ; but its ravages on domesticated and animal food-supplying 

 wild denizens of the woods and fields altogether outweigh any 

 advantage in those respects. Only in districts not highly stocked 

 with game, and where there are no poultry-yards, has the polecat 

 tolerance as a destroyer of mice, rats, moles and voles ; but from the 

 forest and hilly districts and moorlands, where the foulmart or fitch 

 is a blessing to the forester and grazier, incursions are made to pre- 

 serves and poultry-yards. 



STOAT. Although smaller than the polecat, the stoat is very 

 swift and active, cunning and cruel, usually contenting itself by 

 sucking the blood of its prey. It is so active that it requires a smart 

 dog to catch it, and will fight vigorously till killed, trying to fix 

 the dog by the nose with its teeth. It is difficult to kill, often getting 



