Bo MARTIN. Ckfs h 



grace, as well as agility : when taken young, it is 

 eafily tamed, is extremely playful, and in conftant 

 good humour : nature will recur, if it gets loofe ; 

 for it will immediately take advantage of its liberty, 

 and retire to its proper haunts. It makes great havoke 

 among poultry, game^ i^c. and will eat mice, ratSj 

 and moles. V/ith us it inhabits woods, and makes 

 its lodge in the hollows of trees ;' and brings from 

 four to fix young at a time. 



The martin is about eighteen inches long ; the tail 

 ten, or, if the meafurement be taken to the end of the 

 hair at the point, twelve inches. 



The ears are broad, rounded and open : the back, 

 fides, and tail, are covered with a fine thick down, 

 and with long hair intermixed : the bottom is afh- 

 colored : the middle of a bright chefnut color : 

 the tips black : the head brown, with fome flight 

 caft of red : the legs and upper fides of the feet are of 

 a chocolate color : the palms, or under fides are 

 covered with thick down like that on the body: the 

 feet are broad : the claws white, large and Iharp j 

 well adapted for clim/oing trees, which in this country 

 are its confi:ant refidence. The throat and breail are 

 ■white : the belly of the fame color with the back, buE 

 rather paler : the hair on the tail is very long •, efpe- 

 cially at the end, where it appears much thicker than 

 near the origin of it : the hair in that part is alfo darker. 

 But martins vary in their colors, inclining more or 

 lefs to afh-color, according to their ages or the fea- 

 fons they are taken in. 



The fkin and excrements of this animal, have a 

 fine muflcy fcent j and are entirely free of that rank- 



nefs 



