THE PINE MARTEN, 109 



The beech marten inhabits the woods and forests of most parts 

 of Europe. The odour it emits from its posterior glands is far 

 from being foetid $ but that emitted by the pine marten is thought 

 by some persons to be really agreeable, and hence one of its 

 names sweet marten. 



The pine marten is more rare in Britain than the other sort, and 

 in England neither is found except in the northern parts. They 

 are not very often observed, because being timid, they retreat be- 

 fore the advance of cultivation, to dwell unmolested in the more 

 remote and secluded depths of the forest. The beech marten 

 does sometimes, in the highlands of Scotland, where it is common 

 and called tuggin, take to killing lambs, and makes sad havoc. 

 Luckily, however, it is now nearly exterminated in the south of 

 that country."* In Selkirkshire, the beech marten has been 

 observed to descend to the shore at night time, to feed upon 

 mollusks, particularly upon the large basket mussel (Mytilus 

 modiolus) .f But the ordinary prey of both this and the pine 

 marten appears to be hares, rabbits, squirrels, moles, rats, mice, 

 game birds, turkeys, pigeons, and other domestic poultry, and 

 also the wild singing birds. 



The female pine marten makes her nest of moss and leaves in 

 hollow trees, or else takes possession of the nest of the squirrel 

 or the woodpecker. She is said to bring forth only two or three 

 young ones at a birth a statement which, if correct, would 

 materially tend to establish a distinction of species between this 

 and the beech marten, which brings forth from two to seven, but 

 usually four or five. But Albertus Magnus, who speaks of the 

 beech and pine marten as distinct, asserts that they breed together ; 

 and if this statement were verified, it would go far towards 

 establishing the identity of their origin. 



* Mag. Nat. Hist. (1833), vol. vi. p. 203. 

 f Ibid. (1835), vol. viii. p. 227. 



