MARTHAS VINEYARD 



3667 



MARTIN 



Choice marten muffs sell for $65 and upward. 

 This fur, however, is much less expensive than 

 sable (which see). Skunk fur is often treated 

 and sold as marten. 



The species mentioned above makes its home 

 in crevices of rocks or in tall trees, frequently 

 appropriating for its use large woodpecker or 

 squirrel holes. In summer it moves to low, 

 swampy places. It is about twenty-four inches 

 long, including the bushy tail, which is from 

 seven to eight inches in length. Rabbits, squir- 

 rels, partridges and other birds, mice and nuts 

 constitute its fare, and it has little to fear from 

 forest enemies, the strong flavor of its flesh 

 being distasteful to most flesh-eating animals. 



Another American species, which is three feet 

 in length, and the largest of the group, is called 

 pekan by French-Canadian trappers, and fisher 

 marten by hunters from across the border. 

 Well-known European species are the beech or 

 stone marten, which has a white throat and 

 chest, and the sweet or pine marten (now rare), 

 whose fur on throat and chest fs yellowish. 

 "See FUR AND FUR TRADE. 



Consult Seton's Life Histories of Northern Ani- 

 mals; Coues' Fur-Bearing Animals. 



MARTHAS VINEYARD, vin' yard, an island 

 off the south coast of Massachusetts, separated 

 from the mainland by Vineyard Sound, which 

 has a width of from four to six miles. The 

 island forms the greater part of Dukes County, 

 Mass., and is twenty miles long and ten miles 

 in greatest width. It is low and mostly covered 

 with forest, is a popular summer resort and 

 has been particularly noted for its large camp 

 meetings. The county seat is Edgartown, the 

 other principal towns being Fisbury, Gay Head, 

 Chilmark and Cottage City; the permanent 

 population is about 5,000. The island was dis- 

 covered in 1602 by Bartholomew Gosnold. 



MARTIAL, mahr'shal (Marcus Valerius 

 Martialis) (about 40 -about 102), a famous 

 Roman epigram writer, born at Bilbilis, in 

 Spain. In 64 he went to Rome, and remained 

 there under the favor of the emperors, espe- 

 cially Domitian, until the year 98, when he 

 returned to his native city. Martial's fame 

 rests on fourteen books of epigrams, which 

 describe with the keenest wit the customs and 

 vices of the society of his day. 



MARTIAL LAW, or MILITARY LAW. 

 Martial is derived from the Latin martialis, 

 which pertains to Mars, the mythological god 

 of war. Martial law is the extension of the 

 rules of war to any community in which the 

 civil authority is unable to maintain public 



order, and it is exercised by the military power 

 of the state or nation. It is government by 

 armed force legally employed against unlaw- 

 ful operations that threaten to destroy society. 

 Strikes, riots and the like may involve a 

 locality in such strife that the safety of the 

 people is endangered. 



In a city, under such circumstances, the 

 mayor would doubtless first call upon the 

 county sheriff to aid his police force; if both 

 proved ineffective, the governor of the state 

 or province would be requested to send a 

 sufficient force of militia to control the situa- 

 tion. Upon its arrival at the scene of trouble 

 the military entirely succeeds the civil au- 

 thority in all matters that conflict with it, but 

 in other respects the civil control remains 

 supreme; in his work of pacification the com- 

 mander of the troops holds autocratic power 

 over all citizens; for his actions in line of duty 

 he cannot later be held to account, but for 

 abuse of authority he and all connected with 

 him may be treated as trespassers. In opposing 

 unlawful acts and attempting to restore peace, 

 it may be necessary to destroy property and 

 even to sacrifice human life; the authorities 

 are expected to apply the most rigorous meas- 

 ures to assure reestablishment of order. The 

 military arm of the government cannot succeed 

 the local police power except by request of the 

 latter; and military occupation must be with- 

 drawn when local officials request it. The state 

 bears the entire expense resulting from a call 

 for troops to protect any community. 



The executive authority of a state or country 

 may call upon the nation's standing army to 

 crush insurrection or repel invasion; the latter 

 may declare martial law in the affected terri- 

 tory and apply the most stringent rules of war 

 the occasion may require. The right to invoke 

 martial law is recognized by every civilized 

 country as being necessary to the preservation 

 of law and order, but such action is never jus- 

 tified except in extreme instances, when local 

 authority becomes admittedly helpless in the 

 face of unlawful forces. 



MAR 'TIN, a name applied to several spe- 

 cies of the swallow family. The purple martin, 

 distinguished by the lustrous, purplish-blue 

 color of the male, is widely distributed through- 

 out North America. It is found as far north as 

 the Saskatchewan valley, and winters in Cen- 

 tral and South America. This bird builds its 

 nest in a box, or attaches it to the eave of a 

 house, and sometimes its home is in a decayed 

 tree. It is grateful for any hospitality, will 



