MARTENS, POLECATS, AND WEASELS. TIT 



traps as some wild animals, or as the Polecat. If you find 

 traces of, or see the latter about a building, you will most likely 

 find a run near by which it frequents, and a trap has only to be 

 set, and it will be taken ; not so with the Marten, as it is only 

 by accident that it is captured in this manner." The writer 

 then goes on to say that, owing to their partiality for Rabbits 

 and their unsuspiciousness of baited traps, where the latter 

 animals are systematically trapped, a considerable number of 

 Martens are accidentally caught. 



If taken at a sufficiently early age. Martens can be readily 

 tamed, when they display considerable attachment to their 

 owners ; and since they lack the disgusting odour of the Pole- 

 cat and most other members of the Weasel tribe, they form 

 rather agreeable pets. 



Although much less valuable than that of the Sable, the fur 

 of the Pine-Marten is of considerable commercial importance, 

 an average of about three thousand skins being yielded annually, 

 according to Mr. Poland, by Courland and Lithuania alone. 

 Although of late years considerably depreciated in price, good 

 Marten skins even now fetch about ten shillings each in the 

 market. 



IL THE POLECAT. MUSTELA PUTORKS. 



Mustela puiorius^ Linn., Syst. Nat. ed. 12 vol. i. p. 67 (1766); 

 Bell, British Quadrupeds 2nd ed. p. 203 (1874). 



Ffvtor.us piitjrius, Keyserling and Blasius, Wirbelthiere Europ. 

 p. 62 (1840). 

 I Fiitorius fontidtis, Gray, List Mamm. Brit. Mus. p. 64(1843). 

 \jutoriiLS vulgaris^ Owen, Brit. Foss. Mamm. p. 112 (1846). 

 ^B {Plate XI.) 



^^aiaracter. — Size medium ; body very long and slim ; tail and 

 ■ limbs relatively short ; three pairs of pre-molar teeth in each 



jaw ; fur long, dark brown, with the under-fur yellowish ; 

 ' head blackish with white markings in the neighbourhood of 



