THE POLECAT. 



99 



Sable inhabits subterranean burrows, and assert that its nest is always 

 made in a hollow tree. The nests are soft and warm, being composed 

 chiefly of moss, dried leaves, and grass. 



The Sables are taken in various modes. Sometimes they are captured 

 in traps, which are formed in order to secure the animal without damag- 

 ing its fur. Sometimes they are fairly hunted down by means of the 

 tracks which their little feet leave in the white snow, and are traced to 

 their domicile. A net is then placed over the orifice, and by means of 

 a certain pungent smoke which is thrown into the cavity, the inhabitant 

 is forced to rush into the open air, and is captured in the net. The 

 hunters are forced to support themselves on the soft and yielding 

 surface of the snow by wearing " snowshoes," or they would be lost in 

 the deep drifts, which are perfectly capable of supporting so light and 

 active an animal as the Sable, but would engulf a human being before 

 he had made a second step. 



It now and then happens that the Sable is forced to take refuge in 

 the branches of a tree, and in that case it is made captive by means of 

 a noose which is dexterously flung over its head. 



On examining the fur of the Sable, it will be seen to be fixed to the 

 skin in such a manner that it will turn with equal freedom in all di- 

 rections, and lies smoothly in whatever position it may be pressed. The 

 fur is rather long in proportion to the size of the animal, and extends 

 down the limbs to the claws. The color is a rich brown, slightly 

 mottled with white about the head, and taking a gray tinge on the 

 neck. 



The Polecat has earned for itself a most unenviable fame, having 



The Polecat {Putorius fcetidus). 



long been celebrated as one of the most noxious pests to which the 

 farmyard is liable. Slightly smaller than the marten, and not quite so 



