THE EDINBURGH 



JOURNAL OF NATURAL HISTORY, 



AND OF 



THE PHYSICAL SCIENCES. 



NOVEMBER,* 1839. 



BKITISH QUADKUPFDS. — THE MARTEN AND OTTER. 



A genus very intimately allied to that of the Weasels, and indeed scarcely 

 separated from it on sufficient grounds, is that formed by the Martens, 

 winch have the same slender form, and the same number of toes, which 

 are not webbed, but differs in having one grinder more on each side, and 

 an elongated bushy tail, while the tongue, in place of being scabrous, is 

 smooth. Only one species occurs in Britain. 



Martes foina The Common Marten. Considerably larger than the 



Polecat ; greyish or yellowish-brown above ; the feet and tail chocolate- 

 brown ; the throat yellow in younger, white in older individuals ; the tail, 

 including the hair, as long as the body, exclusive of the head. The head 

 is rather flattened above, somewhat triangular, and tapers to a rather 

 sharp muzzle ; the eyes rather small : the ears short, broad, and rounded ; 

 the limbs of moderate length. The (ur is dense, rather long, and soft, 

 more elongated on the hind parts, and especially the tail ; the under fur 

 thick and woolly. 



Two species of Marten figure in most works on the Mammalia of this 

 country: — The Beech Marten, Martes fagorum, and the Pine Marten, 

 Maries ahietum ; the former with the throat white, the latter with that 

 part yellow ; but, on comparing specimens, it has been found that the 

 form and proportions are the same, that individuals intermediate in co- 

 lour are seen, and, besides, that at one season the throat of the same in- 

 dividual may be yellow, and at another white. 



The Marten, although found in woods, nestling sometimes in deserted 

 nests of rooks or hawks, and climbing trees with the greatest facility, is 

 not essentially sylvicolous, for it occurs in the outer Hebrides, which are 

 totally destitute of wood, and all over the Highlands its residence is among 

 loose blocks or stones on the sides of the hills. In other parts of the 

 country it is occasionally met with in woods, but more frequently in rough 

 or stony ground, on the sides of valleys overgrown with bushes. Some- 

 times it takes up its abode in ruined buildings, and can ascend a wall with 

 the greatest agility. ]t is one of the most graceful, active, and lively of 

 our native Quadrupeds, runs with great speed, and has been known to 

 perform very surprising leaps. Its food consists of the flesh of small 

 Quadrupeds, and of Birds of all kinds, being very destructive to feathered 

 game. Now, however, it is of very rare occurrence, owing to the hos- 

 tility of gamekeepers and shepherds, and for every Marten killed in the 

 country there are at least ten Polecats. The fur is valuable, and is im- 

 ported in great quantity from the northern parts of the Continent, where 

 it is very abundant. 



The Otters differ from the Weasels and Martens in having the feet 

 short, the toes webbed, the body very long and cylindrical, and the tail 

 long, tapering, and a little flattened. They live chiefly on fish, and re- 

 side on the banks of rivers and lakes, as well as the shores of the sea. 



Lutra vulgaris -The Common Otter. This species varies in size and 



somewhat in colour, some individuals measuring four feet in length, while 

 others are half a foot shorter, and the colour being of various shades of 

 brown. Its body is very long and cylindrical, the neck thick, the head 

 depressed and broad, the muzzle short, broad, and rounded ; the eyes 

 very small, as are the ears, which are broadly rounded. The legs are 

 short, very muscular, and exceedingly flexile ; the feet with five toes con- 

 nected by membranes extending to three-fourths of their length, with na- 

 ked soles and acute claws. The fur is short, the long hairs flattened and 

 acuminate, the woolly hairs extremely fine. The colour of the upper 

 parts is dark brown, sometimes blackish-brown, or greyish-brown ; the 



sides of the head and the fore part of the neck brownish-grey ; the lower 

 parts not much lighter than the upper. 



The Otter lives almost exclusively on Fish, which it pursues not only 

 on rivers and lakes, but also in estuaries, bays, and even the margins of 

 the open sea on the most exposed headlands. It has been thought that 

 from this difference of habits, two species occur in Britain ; but skins of 

 Otters from Shetland, Orkney, and the Hebiides, differ in no essential 

 respect from skins of Otters killed on rivers in the south of Scotland and 

 in England. On shore the Otter runs with considerable speed, but not 

 with a bounding or leaping motion, like the Martens and Weasels. In 

 the water it moves with astonishing ease, swimming with a speed equal 

 to that of many Fishes. Although capable of remaining immersed a 

 considerable time, it cannot eat a Fish under the water, but brings it on 

 shore, usually to the nearest point, and, commencing at the shoulders, 

 devours it downwards, leaving the head and tail. It is said to destroy 

 great numbers of Salmon in rivers and estuaries, and for this reason is 

 proscribed. Along the coast it finds a retreat in caves, or among blocks, 

 whence it is hunted by small Terriers. On rivers and lakes it retreats to 

 holes in the banks, or beneath the roots of trees. Although properly 

 piscivorous, it sometimes attacks young domestic animals, and has been 

 known to devour earthworms and larva?. The number of young is said 

 to be from three to five. When taken young, the Otter may be tamed, 

 and even taught to fish for itself and return to its home. 



ON THE HABITS OF A NEWLY DISCOVERED SPECIES OF LONG-SNOOTED MOUSE. 



M. Duvernov, in a late volume of the Memoirs of the Strasburg Natural 

 History Society, supplied the first description which has appeared of the 

 Macrocelides, which he has designated from its discoverer M. Rozeti ; 

 and Dr Moritz Wagner has still more recently, in Wiegman's Archives, 

 1839, supplied some observations concerning its habits. This curious small 

 Insect-eater, he observes, inhabits the western portion of the Province 

 of Algiera, and has hitherto been discovered only in the neighbourhood 

 of the towns of Oran, Tlemsan, and Arzew, and is obtained with much dif- 

 ficulty even there. Captain Rozet, who first sent it to France, procured 

 it in a rocky mountain to the west of Oran, whose summit is crowned by 

 a Marabut temple and the Spanish fort of St Cruz. The animal lives 

 there among the cavities formed by large fragments of rocks. It seeks 

 out natural places of concealment, and does not excavate holes ; the fe- 

 male, however, forming a nest for her young amongst the most dense 

 thickets of the dwarf palm. In the early hours of the day the animal 

 quits its hiding-place, and picks out a sunny spot ; and during the middle 

 of the day, lies in the shade, among the shrubs, there lurking for its prey 

 — the Insects which settle on the lower plants. It prefers Insects, Larva?, 

 Grasshoppers, and especially Snails, in fact, all small soft animals. In- 

 capable of breaking the hard house of the Helix lactea, it thrusts its re- 

 markably prolonged narrow mouth into the aperture, and generally tears 

 away a portion of the Snail before it has time to draw itself completely 

 into the interior of its shell. Dr W. kept twelve animals for some weeks 

 alive in his lodgings, and fed them on small Orthoptera. They would 

 not touch bread, maize, or sugar, although Captain Rozet states that he 

 supported his on bread. They are exceedingly gentle animals, never biting 

 even when tormented. They do not go on the hinder-feet, like the ge- 

 nus Dipus, or Jerboas, but always on all-fours, and when running, the 

 length of their hind-limbs is not perceived. On the other hand, when 

 sitting on a rock, they are frequently in the attitude of a Rabbit, either 



* October 1839 — We have this month the pleasure of announcing that we have prepared a Supplementary Number of the Journal, consisting of Titles, Preface, 

 Lists of Plates and Woodcuts, and a copious Index to the First Volume of our Work. To this we have added two Plates : one, the Rhinoceros, wholly new, derived from 

 sources which were not in existence when our former Plate appeared; and the other, of the Camels, greatly altered and improved. For the valuable figure, No. 1. of the 

 Rhinoceros Plate, we avail ourselves of this opportunity of tendering our thanks to D. A. Smith, the distinguished Naturalist, so well known as connected with the Cape, 

 for the permission he kindly granted to copy one of the series of his beautiful " Illustrations of the Zoology of South Africa," now in course of publication. Our Readers, 

 in binding their copies, will have the kindness to substitute these plates for the former ones of the same animals, 

 9 



