WILD SPORTS OF THE HIGHLANDS 



but as I also saw that the animal climbed the bushes, I 

 knew it could be neither of these. Out of curiosity, I set a 

 trap for the marauder; the next morning, on going to look 

 at it very early, I could see nothing on the spot where I 

 had put my trap but a heap of leaves, some dry and some 

 green; I was just going to move them with my hand, when 

 I luckily discerned a pair of bright eyes peering sharply 

 out of the leaves, and discovered that I had caught a larg-e 

 marten, who, finding that he could not escape, had collect- 

 ed all the leaves within his reach, and had quite concealed 

 himself under them. The moment he found that he was 

 discovered, he attacked me most courageously, as the 

 marten always does, fighting to the last. I had other oppor- 

 tunities of satisfying myself that this animal is a great fruit- 

 eater, feeding much on the wild raspberries, and even 

 blackberries that grow in the woods. Though generally in- 

 habiting cairns of stones, themarten sometimes takes poss- 

 ession of some large bird's nest, and relining it, there 

 brings up her young, who are remarkably pretty little 

 creatures. I endeavoured once to rear and tame a litter of 

 young martens which I found in an old crow's nest, and I 

 believe I should have succeeded had not a terrier got at 

 them in my absence, and revenged himself on them for the 

 numerous bites he had felt from martens and polecats in 

 his different encounters with them. I have more frequent- 

 ly seen this animal abroad during the day time than any 

 of the other weasels. 



I remember starting one amongst the long heather in 

 the very midst of a pack of dogs of a Highland fox-hunter: 

 though all the dogs, greyhounds, fox-hounds, and terriers, 



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