MARTEN. 



221 



i polecat, or even more brave, it is not so cruel. And 

 when we come to examine the teeth, we find that 

 .hev justify the impression which is made by the ap- 

 pearance of the animal ; and perhaps if a little more 

 ittention were paid to the connexion between the ex- 

 pression of animals, and the structure of those organs 

 vhich determine the nature of their food and their 

 node of procuring it, natural history would profit not 

 i little by the result. The martens have one false 

 nolar more than the polecats, in each side of the jaw, 

 >oth above and below, and they have a little tubercle 

 )r heel on the inside of the carnivorous tooth, which 

 liminishes its carnivorous character, and makes it in 

 l slight degree a bruising tooth, not a tearing one. It 

 nay seem that these are slight differences ; but it is 

 >y attention to such slight differences that we are 

 snabled to become thoroughly acquainted with the 

 lature and characters of animals. 



In addition to those distinctions which we have 

 nentioned between the true martens and the polecats, 

 .here are some other polecats. The martens keep 

 ;o the woods and wilds, spend their lives peaceably 

 here, and never invade the pigeon-house or poul- 

 ;ry-yard ; and as Nature has destined them for a 

 somewhat severer life than the polecats, she has 

 jlothed them in a superior manner, and also given 

 ;hem superior powers of locomotion. It is delightful 

 ;o contemplate how beautifully Nature does these 

 .hings. If the average temperature which one animal 

 ms to bear is but a few degrees colder than that 

 hich another has, a difference is made in the cloth- 

 ng of the former, so as to put them on a perfect 

 equality in point of endurance. Also, if one animal 

 las on the average to travel a mile more a day for its 

 bod, muscular power in proportion to its weight is 

 jiven it to the exact point of compensation. Now, 

 A'ho, we ask, but a Being infinitely wise, knowing all 

 cnowledge, and seeing everything to the end even 

 lefore the beginning, could have planned and exe- 

 cuted those wonderful adaptations, or rather, accord- 

 ng to our view of the matter, could have endowed 

 ihem with powers ? 



The Common Marten (M. martes) is about eighteen 

 inches long in the body ; and the tail, which is much 

 covered with hair, especially about the point, is about 

 ten inches long. It is thus longer than the polecat, and 

 Par more handsome in its form. Its nose is softened 

 down, its head slender, its ears broad, rounded, and 

 open, its eyes lively and sparkling but not ferocious, 

 and its whole aspect, to use a homely expression, 

 " just an animal that one would like." Its odour, too, 

 instead of being disagreeable, is a positive perfume ; 

 and its fur is as rich as its form is handsome. On the 

 back, the sides, and the tail, the woolly fur is very thick 

 and soft, and the long fur smooth and shining. The 

 hairs are annulated, the roots being ash colour, the 

 middle length chestnut, and the points black. These 

 give a varying and not easily described colour to the 

 whole. The head is reddish brown ; the legs and 

 upper part of the feet chocolate brown, and the plant 

 of the foot is thickly covered with woolly fur, like 

 that on the body, so that the marten treads softly. 

 The feet are well developed : the toes have consider- 

 able freedom of action ; and the claws are strong, 

 sharp, and crooked, well adapted for climbing, but not 

 retractile, and therefore not used for clutching prey. 

 There is some difference of colour in the under part, 

 but it certainly does not amount to a specific differ- 

 ence, or perhaps even constitute a permanent variety. 



The under part in all is of the same general colour as 

 the upper part, only paler ; but the breast in some is 

 pure white, and in others whitish yellow ; and this 

 constitutes the distinction to which we have alluded. 

 In other respects there is not a shade of difference 

 between the one and the other ; and it is worthy of 

 remark, that the yellow on the breast occurs more 

 frequently in the warmer latitudes inhabited by the 

 martens, and the white more frequently in the colder 

 latitudes. 



Common Marten. 



The general residence of the common marten is in 

 woods and copses ; and the nest is formed in a hollow 

 tree, a chink of a rock, or a hole in a wall, if the place 

 is sufficiently sequestered. It is well formed of dry 

 grass and moss ; and it is understood that the female 

 breeds in spring, and again in autumn, the litter vary- 

 ing from three to seven. If taken sufficiently young, 

 and before it has tasted blood, the marten can be 

 tamed with the greatest ease, and it is an exceed- 

 ingly good-humoured and playful creature. There 

 seems, however, to be an instinctive love of freedom 

 and the wild wood inherent in the very nature of the 

 creature ; for, though it is ever so playful, and ever 

 so good-natured, it lets slip no opportunity of regain- 

 ing its liberty and joining its wild companions. The 

 maiten has thus another noble trait in its character 

 it can be tamed, but it will not be enslaved. 



There is another strong instinct which the marten 

 evinces, even when tamed it has an implacable hos- 

 tility to cats, and lets slip no opportunity of springing- 

 upon them and inflicting a mortal wound. In the 

 forests, diminutive as it is in comparison, it battles 

 stoutly with the wild cat ; and we shall venture to 

 quote from " The British Naturalist" an account of 

 one of these battles, as from an eye-witness. " In 

 the year 1805, a gentleman, on whose veracity we 

 can depend, witnessed one of those combats in the 

 Morven district of Argyleshire. In crossing the 

 mountains from Loch Sunart southward, he passed 

 along the bank of a very deep-wooded dell, the 

 hollow of which, though it occasionally showed green 

 patches through trees and coppice, was one hundred 

 and fifty or two hundred feet from the top. The 

 dell is of difficult access, and contains nothing that 

 would compensate the labour, and thus it is abandoned 

 to wild animals, and, among others, to the marten, 

 which, though the skin fetches a high price, is not so 

 much hunted there as in more open places ; because, 

 though they might succeed in shooting it from the 

 heights above, they could not be sure of removing 1 

 the body. Thus it is left to contend with the moun- 

 tain cat for the sovereignty of this particular dell, and 

 both are safe, except when they approach the farm- 



