THE MARTEN 121 



to that of the more harmless animal, which so often serves it 

 for food. The general abode of the marten is in woods and 

 rocky cairns. He is a very beautiful and graceful animal, with 

 a fine fur quite devoid of all smell, but owing to its great agility 

 it must be one of the most destructive of the tribe. When 

 hunting, their movements are quick and full of elegance, the 

 effect of which is much heightened by their brilliant black eyes 

 and rich brown fur, contrasted with the orange-coloured mark 

 on their throat and breast. The marten, when disturbed by 

 dogs, climbs a tree with the agility of a squirrel,^ and leaps 

 from branch to branch, and from tree to tree. I used frequently 

 to shoot them with my rifle on the tall pine-trees in Sutherland. 

 In this part of the country they are now seldom seen. This 

 animal is not wholly carnivorous, being very fond of some fruits 

 — the strawberry and raspberry, for instance. I found in my 

 garden in Inverness-shire that some animal came nightly to the 

 raspberry-bushes ; the track appeared like that of a rabbit or 

 hare, but as I also saw that the animal climbed the bushes, I 

 knew it could be neither of these. Out of curiosity, I set a trap 

 for the marauder ; the next morning, on going to look at it very 

 early, I could see nothing on the spot where I had put my trap 

 but a heap of leaves, some dry and some green ; I was just 

 going to move them with my hand, when I luckily discerned a 

 pair of bright eyes peering sharply out of the leaves, and dis- 

 covered that I had caught a large marten, who, finding that he 

 could not escape, had collected all the leaves within his reach, 

 and had quite concealed himself under them. The moment 

 he found that he was discovered, he attacked me most courage- 

 ously, as the marten always does, fighting to the last. I had 

 other opportunities of satisfying myself that this animal is a 

 great fruit-eater, feeding much on the wild raspberries, and even 

 blackberries, that grow in the woods. Though generally inhab- 

 iting cairns of stones, the marten sometimes takes possession of 

 some large bird's nest, and relining it, there brings up her young, 

 which are remarkably pretty little creatures. I endeavoured 

 once to rear and tame a litter of young martens which I found 

 in an old crow's nest, and I believe I should have succeeded 

 had not a terrier got at them in my absence, and revenged 

 himself on theni for the numerous bites he had felt from martens 

 1 The squirrel is not uncommon near the Spey. — C. St.- J. 



