122 WILD SPORTS OF THE HIGHLANDS chap. 



and polecats in his . different encounters with them. I have 

 more frequently seen this animal abroad during the daytime 

 than any of the other weasels. 



I remember starting one amongst the long heather in the 

 very midst of a pack of dogs of a Highland fox-hunter : though 

 all the dogs, greyhounds, fox-hounds, and terriers, were im- 

 mediately in full pursuit, the nimble little fellow escaped them 

 all, jumping over one dog, under another, through the legs of 

 a third, and finally getting off into a rocky cairn, whence he 

 could not be ejected. " It's the eyil speerit hersel'," said the 

 old man, as, aiming a blow at the marten, he nearly broke the 

 back of one of his best lurchers. Nor did he get over his 

 annoyance at seeing his dogs so completely baffled, till after 

 many a Gaelic curse at the beast and many a pinch of snuff. 

 The marten-cat is accused by the shepherds of destroying a 

 great many sheep. His manner of attack is said to be by 

 seizing the unfortunate sheep by the nose, which he eats away, 

 till the animal is either destroyed on the spot or dies a lingering 

 death. I have been repeatedly told this by different Highland 

 shepherds and others, and believe it to be a true accusation. 

 They kill numbers of lambs, and when they take to poultry- 

 killing, enter the henhouse fearlessly, committing immense 

 havoc ; in fact seldom leaving a single fowl alive — having the 

 same propensity as the ferret for killing many more victims than 

 they can consume. 



The eagle is said to prey frequently on the marten-cat, but 

 I never happened to witness an encounter between them ; my 

 tame eagle, however, always seemed to prefer them to any other 

 food. I have no doubt that the eagle on its native mountain 

 pounces on any living creature that it can conquer, and therefore 

 must frequently kill both marten and wild cat, both which animals 

 frequent the rocks and high ground where this bird hunts. 



From the strength and suppleness of the marten, he cannot 

 fall a very easy prey to any eagle of this country, and probably 

 when pounced upon he does not die without a severe battle. 



There are said to be two kinds of martens here,^ the pine- 



' Mr. J. Smith, keeper in Assynt, informs me that he believes there is only one kind 

 of marten in that district, the yellow-breasted variety. About 1869 it was very numerous. 

 Now it is all but exterminated, owing to the premium paid for shooting it, and the price 

 its skin commands, viz. from ten to fifteen shillings. In the Shin valley, I beard of two 

 or three pairs in 1879, 



