THE PINE-MARTEN. 141 



ment unless backed by intelligent interest. The 

 matter lies in the hands of shooting tenants and 

 landed proprietors, and more harm than good 

 generally results from over-zeal on the part of the 

 nature-lover. It has become customary for natu- 

 ralists to plead the cause of the birds and the beasts 

 they wish to see protected by under-estimating the 

 amount of harm they do, and by putting forth 

 sentimental claims which merely irritate the man 

 who knows. Accurate reports, backed by authentic 

 figures, are far more likely to yield the desired re- 

 sults ; and while admitting the regrettable activities 

 of such birds and beasts, we can at least base the 

 plea for their preservation on the fact that their 

 rarity reduces the actual damage they do to a 

 point far below that done by more plentiful 

 creatures. The latter may, on account of their 

 very commonness, escape systematic persecution. 

 The keeper who destroys a dozen gray rats living 

 within his preserves, or who shoots three crows or 

 magpies during his weekly round, has attained 

 results more beneficial to his interests than he 

 would have attained by shooting one peregrine, 

 or half-a-dozen ravens and buzzards. 



While it must be admitted that the pine-marten 

 has few characteristics to excite our love and 

 sympathy, it should nevertheless be preserved 

 firstly, on account of its rarity ; and, secondly, on 

 account of its unsurpassed beauty as a creature 

 of the trees. In forests that are given over to 

 the production of timber rather than the pro- 

 duction of game-birds the presence of the marten 

 is undoubtedly beneficial to man, as it keeps 

 down the squirrel and rabbit population, and is in 

 no way harmful to young forests. The problem 

 as to whether or not it would actually pay 



