398 



THE NATURE BOOK 



occasion, however, although the sun was 

 low, the whole cage was strongly illu- 

 minated, and it occurred to me that if 

 the effect was extraordinary by daylight 

 it would be still more extraordinary after 

 dark, when the source of illumination 

 could be controlled. I accordingly ex- 

 perimented after dark with a bicycle 

 lamp, and found that the reflex was 

 even more brilliant, and that with a 

 suitable adjustment of the lamp the 

 animal's eyes appeared as two round discs 

 of brilliant metallic green. Most of my 

 readers have probably at one time or 

 another caught the glint of a cat's eyes 

 in the dark, and found the effect of it 

 under favourable conditions somewhat 

 uncanny, but neither in the case of the 

 cat nor in that of any other carnivore 

 which has passed through my hands have 

 I found the reflection comparable in bril- 

 liancy to that exhibited by the Marten. 

 The explanation of it, which is indis- 

 putable, is that the light is reflected from 

 the tapetiim cellulosiim, a layer of cells 

 with a metallic lustre which forms a 

 portion of the choroid and is especially 

 marked in the Carnivora. It is obvious 

 that the full effect can only be experi- 

 enced when the animal's eyes are widely 

 dilated, and it seems not unlikely that 

 an investigation of the Marten's tapetinn 

 cellulosiim might furnish some explana- 

 tion of the power which certain animals 

 undoubtedly possess of " seeing in the 

 dark." 



From my experience of captive Martens 

 I should judge that they are extremely 

 long-sighted, and that their arboreal habits 

 have been developed in the quest of some 

 lofty look-out. It seems that in the wild, 

 mountainous portions of this country, 

 in which they still maintain a precarious 

 existence, they prefer the high ground for 

 their lairs and breeding quarters, while 

 they descend to the valleys in quest 

 of food, possibly of food sighted from a 

 considerable distance. All the captive 

 Martens of which I have had experience 

 preferred to sleep as high as possible. 



The Marten which, as I have already 

 explained, I released by reason of his un- 

 certain temper, at first returned to his 

 cage nightly for food, but presently 

 took up his quarters in a stable-loft 

 and subsisted for a time on fan-tailed 



pigeons. On several occasions I was 

 able to watch him stalking by moonlight, 

 and in the tactics which he then adopted 

 I found the solution of a characteristic 

 movement which had often puzzled me. 

 This mo\'ement consists of a slow wriggle 

 during which the animal is so closely 

 welded to his support, that, while his 

 limbs embrace it, his body actually 

 overlaps it. He progressed thus two or 

 three feet at a time, and in a dim light 

 it needed very careful watching to dis- 

 tinguish him from his bough, or from the 

 ridge of the roof, as the case might be. 

 He could usually get within a couple of 

 yards of the pigeons before he sprang. 

 Sometimes he missed, and it was amusing 

 then to see him stand up to his full height 

 (further precaution being superfluous) 

 and lash his tail with annoyance. If he 

 secured his pigeon he would carry it off 

 at a great pace, never descending to the 

 ground, but leaping from roof to roof 

 and from wall to wall with the same easy 

 grace which he displayed when unen- 

 cumbered. He usually emerged about half 

 an hour after sunset and commenced his 

 night by a very cautious survey of his 

 surroundings. The slightest movement 

 within a radius of thirty to forty yards 

 would instantly send him back to cover, 

 and he would sometimes be ten minutes 

 in satisfying himself that all was well. 

 After he had disposed of six fan-tailed 

 pigeons (which took him about a fort- 

 night) he transferred his attentions to a 

 neighbour's stock, and for a month I lost 

 sight of him altogether. He turned up 

 again, however, ancl signalised his reappear- 

 ance by climbing a Scotch fir some sixty 

 feet in height and regaling himself with 

 a nest of ring-doves at the top. This feat 

 did credit both to his keen-sightedness 

 and to his agility, for the trunk rose sheer 

 for twenty feet without a projecting 

 bough. Once only did I meet him on the 

 ground, and then he had a rat in his 

 mouth, which he promptly took up a 

 lime-tree. Before leaving him I must 

 mention his vocal powers. When enraged 

 his scream was blood-curdling, and only 

 ceased when the object of his aversion 

 withdrew. He had two other notes — one 

 a low growl which he uttered when 

 mumbling his food, and the other a 

 rather agreeable bleat which can best 



