FURRY FRIENDS WITH FINE SKINS. 125 



and hundreds are trapped there every year for their 

 valuable fur. In Maine he is also common in the 

 vicinity of Lake Umbagog, and he frequently appears 

 in the spruce forests of northern New Hampshire. 

 Notwithstanding his shyness, he is a bit inquisitive, 

 and trappers say that if one should meet him and 

 begin to whistle, his curiosity will overcome his pru- 

 dence, and he will allow himself to be approached 

 near enough to be 'easily shot. When he is trapped, 

 if any one draws very near he will raise his hair, 

 arch his back, show his teeth, and growl and hiss 

 like a cat. If attacked by a dog, he will fasten on 

 his nose if he can, and bite so severely that the dis- 

 tracted dog will frequently let go his game and suffer 

 it to escape. 



The female makes her nest in the hollow of a 

 log, or rarely in some secluded spot on the ground, 

 and bears from four to six young ones in early 

 April. The animal when full grown is about the 

 size of a cat, but slenderer and much shorter legged. 

 The tail, hairs and all, is nearly a foot long, bushy, 

 and in this respect quite the reverse of that of the 

 pecan. The head is rather triangular and conical, 

 and the eyes are set obliquely at the point where the 

 muzzle begins to contract. 



The finest marten furs come from the country 

 north of Lake Superior, and from Labrador and 



