﻿THE 
  FISHER. 
  

  

  MUSTELA 
  CANADENSIS. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  " 
  Zoology 
  " 
  of 
  the 
  State, 
  the 
  skull, 
  ofily^ 
  of 
  the 
  fisher 
  is 
  

   figured 
  ; 
  Dr. 
  Dekay 
  not 
  being 
  able 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  the 
  publication, 
  

   to 
  procure 
  a 
  perfect 
  specimen: 
  The 
  Regents 
  of 
  the 
  University, 
  

   for 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  supplying 
  this 
  defect 
  in 
  the 
  illustrations 
  of 
  

   the 
  Mammalia, 
  directed 
  a 
  drawing 
  and 
  engraving 
  to 
  be 
  made 
  

   from 
  the 
  beautiful 
  specimen 
  in 
  the 
  State 
  Cabinet, 
  which 
  was 
  

   taken 
  in 
  the 
  town 
  of 
  Ohio, 
  Herkimer 
  county, 
  N. 
  Y.,in 
  the 
  month 
  

   of 
  January, 
  1851. 
  (See 
  figure 
  on 
  the 
  preceding 
  page.) 
  

  

  The 
  following 
  remarks 
  on 
  the 
  fisher 
  are 
  copied 
  from 
  Bekay^s 
  

   Zoology 
  of 
  New- 
  York: 
  

  

  The 
  fisher 
  or 
  black 
  cat 
  of 
  our 
  hunters, 
  is 
  a 
  large 
  and 
  powerful 
  

   animal, 
  standing 
  nearly 
  a 
  foot 
  from 
  the 
  ground. 
  It 
  was 
  former- 
  

   ly 
  very 
  abundant 
  in 
  this 
  State, 
  but 
  is 
  now 
  confined 
  to 
  thinly 
  set- 
  

   tled 
  northern 
  districts. 
  Twenty 
  years 
  ago 
  they 
  were 
  numerous 
  

   in 
  the 
  western 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  State, 
  wliere 
  they 
  are 
  now 
  scarcely 
  ever 
  

   seen.. 
  It 
  is 
  a 
  nocturnal 
  species, 
  and 
  lives 
  chiefly 
  on 
  the 
  smaller 
  

   quadrupeds, 
  but 
  also 
  devours 
  frogs, 
  fish 
  and 
  serpents. 
  It 
  climbs 
  

   trees 
  with 
  great 
  ease, 
  and 
  takes 
  up 
  its 
  abode 
  in 
  the 
  trunk 
  of 
  a 
  

   tree. 
  It 
  appears 
  to 
  prefer 
  marshy 
  wooded 
  swamps, 
  and 
  the 
  vicin- 
  

   ity 
  of 
  lakies 
  and 
  water- 
  courses. 
  

  

  The 
  name 
  of 
  fisher^ 
  which 
  has 
  been 
  censured 
  as 
  not 
  applicable 
  

   to 
  this 
  animal, 
  is, 
  however, 
  that 
  by 
  which 
  it 
  is 
  best 
  known, 
  and 
  

   which 
  it 
  has 
  received 
  from 
  its 
  characteristic 
  habits. 
  Richardson 
  

   states 
  that 
  it 
  feeds 
  on 
  the 
  hoards 
  of 
  frozen 
  fish 
  stored 
  up 
  by 
  the 
  

   residents. 
  We 
  are 
  informed 
  by 
  a 
  person 
  who 
  resided 
  many 
  years 
  

   near 
  Lake 
  Ontario^, 
  where 
  the 
  fisher 
  was 
  then 
  common, 
  that 
  the 
  

   name 
  was 
  derived 
  from 
  its 
  singular 
  fondness 
  for 
  the 
  fish 
  used 
  to 
  

   bait 
  traps. 
  The 
  hunters 
  were 
  in 
  the 
  practice 
  ^of 
  soaking 
  their 
  

  

  [Assembly. 
  No. 
  122.] 
  3 
  

  

  