312 PENNANT'S MARTEN OR FISHER. 



ing and afternoon, whilst in the autumn and winter they only move 

 about by night. 



In the many fox-hunts, in which our neighbours were from time to 

 time engaged, not far from our residence at the north, during the period 

 when we obtained the information concerning their primitive mode of 

 enjoying that amusement, which we have laid before our readers, in 

 pages 49 and 50, (where we also spoke of Pennant's Marten as not 

 being very scarce at that time in Rensselaer county, N. Y.,) we never 

 heard of their having encountered a single Fisher in the day-time ; but 

 when they traversed the same grounds at night, in search of raccoons, 

 it was not unusual for them to discover and capture this species. We 

 were informed by the trappers that they caught the Fisher in their traps 

 only by night. 



The specimen, from which the figure in our plate was drawn, was 

 taken alive in some part of the Alleghany Mountains, in the State of 

 Pennsylvania, and we soon afterwards received a letter from our 

 esteemed friend, Spencer F. Baird, Esq., of Carlisle, in that State, in- 

 forming us of its having been captured, which enabled us, through that 

 gentleman, to purchase it. We received it at New- York, in good con- 

 dition, in a case tinned inside, with iron bars in front, to prevent the 

 animal from making its escape, as it was so strong and so well supplied 

 with sharp teeth that it could easily have eaten its way out of a common 

 wooden box. In Mr. Baird's note he says, " all the account I was able 

 to procure respecting this species was the following : — It was found in 

 company with an older one, in Peter's Mountain, six miles above Harris- 

 burgh, about five weeks ago. (His letter is dated Carlisle, March 16th, 

 1844.) After a most desperate resistance the old one was killed, after 

 having beaten off" the dogs, to whose assistance the hunters vsrere 

 obliged to come. This individual ran up a tree, and being stoned by the 

 hunters, jumped off" from a height of about forty feet ! when being a little 

 stunned by the leap, the men ran up quickly, threw^ their coats over 

 it, and thus secured it. The old one was said to have been about the size 

 of a pointer dog. The young one is very savage, and emits a rather 

 strong musky odour." 



We kept this individual alive for some days, feeding it on raw meat, 

 pieces of chicken, and now and then a bird. It was voracious, and very 

 spiteful, growling snarling and spitting when approached, but it did not 

 appear to suffer much uneasiness from being held in captivity, as, like 

 many other predacious quadrupeds it grew fat, being better supplied 

 with food than when it had been obliged to cater for itself in the 

 woods. 



