THE WEASEL FAMILY MARTEN GROUP. 175 



RUSSIAN SABLE. 



The most important animal in the Marten group is the 

 Russian Sable (Mustela-zibellina). By many it is consid- 

 ered merely as a variety of the Pine Marten, distinguished 

 by the greater length and finer quality of its fur; but it 

 also has a much more distinctly cone-shaped head, longer 

 and stouter limbs and larger feet. Like all the members 

 of the Weasel family, the Sable has a habit of walking 

 almost entirely on its toes, and its short and compressed 

 claws are capable of partial retraction. It has soft, thick 

 fur, the top hairs of which are darker and glossier than 

 the under fur ; in fact, the value of a Sable as well as of 

 the other Martens depends upon the color and density of 

 the top coat. The skins of animals taken in the depths 

 of the forests where the sun's rays never penetrate the 

 gloom are almost black, and well nigh priceless in value ; 

 but ordinarily the color varies from a light to a deep 

 chestnut brown, and is uniform, except for a reddish grey 

 patch on the throat, and a mixture of black and grey on 

 the cheeks and snout. The skins are worth from ten to 

 two hundred and fifty dollars each raw. There are furs 

 that cost more, per skin, than Russian Sable; but when 

 the size of the animal is considered, its full length being 

 from fifteen to twenty inches, exclusive of the seven inch 

 tail, the Russian Sable is the most valuable of all fur- 

 bearing animals. 



The finest Sables are the large, wide stretched skins 

 received from the Vitim and Olekma river districts, on 

 which the long, glossy top hair is very full and black. 

 They are almost equaled in quality by the Bargusin skins 

 that are generally stretched a little more in the length by 

 the trappers. The skins from Jakutsk are smaller, and 

 have browner top hair, but they have very large and full 

 silky tails. The Okhotsk 'Sables are smaller and browner 

 still, but fine and full furred. 



The large brown Kamschatka skins that come to the 

 market stretched in the length, have many silver hairs in 

 the top coat. The Nerschinsk Sables are also well silvered, 

 but are coarser furred. Those from the valley of the 



