// EASEL FAMILY. 



55 



tallages; their favourite resort being the depths of the forest least frequented by 

 the natives, [t is eonsidered that the most inaceessible and least known pari 

 the country are the beat bunting grounds. They live on bares, birds of all kinds, 

 and, in short, almost every living thing they can kill, hut tliey arc also said to sat 

 berries, and even fish. There are, indeed, but few animals, apparently, which « I < > 

 nut live on fish in Kamschatka. They have only one litter during the rear, 

 generally in the month of April, and bring forth four or five young at a birth in 

 a nest in the holes of trees. The, same writer tells as that whereas formerly a 

 large number of sables were caught in traps in Kamschatka, they are now mors 

 generally hunted there with Wogs; these dogs being specially trained for the 

 purpose, and either running down their quarry on the deep snow, driving them 



into trees, Or smelling them out when lying asleep iii holes. The great object in 



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TBI IUU (1 1 1 --• I - 



such hunts m to tree" the sable, when the tree is surrounded with nets, ami the 

 animal cither shaken from the boughs or knocked off them by means of poles If 



the sable does not fall into the nets, it, is again pursued by the expectant dogs, 

 by whom it is either ran down, or once more "treed." When the tree is too high 

 to allow of tie- able being dislodged by the usual methods, it is either felled or 



the animal is shot: but recourse to guns is if possible avoided, as the shot 

 damage to the skins. If the distance they have to travel he a long one, the 

 Kamsc.hntkan hunters start, on their winter expeditions after tie- sable towards 

 the end of September; but, if the district is nearer, they wait until tie- lirsl fall 

 of snow or about six weeks afterwards. If a, single hunter takes twenty sable 



skins in a season, he considers himself fortunate; but Dr. C taillemar d men! 

 that in a little-known district one party bagged upward- of 140 skins. The total 

 Dumber annually taken in Kamschatka must be very large; the number exported 

 in th.- year L882 from Petropaulovsky (which receives the majority) being ov*r 



