insatiable lust for destruction ; for they will slaughter many more 
victims than are necessary to satisfy their hunger. But it must 
he remembered that, as the blood and brains of their prey is 
generally the only portion utilised, the number of victims must 
necessarily be considerable. 
Weasels are artful and cunning, and generally succeed in taking 
their prey by surprise, displaying considerable intelligence on such 
occasions. They can be tamed, but are almost incapable of affec- 
tion. Thus they are made the slave of Man, not his friend. 
We must mention, as a special detail of their organisation, 
the unpleasant and foetid odour which they possess, especially 
when irritated. This emanates from a liquid, secreted by two 
glands placed at the setting on of the tail. 
The Marten genus is divided into two sections — the Marten 
proper, and the Polecats. 
The principal species in the first section are the Common or 
Pine Marten (. Mustela abietum ) , the Sable ( Mustela zibellina ), and 
the Beech Marten (. Mustela martes). 
The Common Marten, which is essentially nocturnal in its 
habits, is about twenty inches long; it is a native of the 
wildest forests in the North of Europe and America. Birds 
of all kinds, Hares, Babbits, Squirrels, Dormice, Wood-mice, 
and, exceptionally, Serpents and Lizards, fall a prey under 
the murderous fangs of this destructive creature. It also has 
the reputation of being partial to honey. 
Their place of abode is made in the middle of thickets, 
or in the hollows of trees. When the female is on the point 
of giving birth to her young, she looks out for a Squirrel's 
nest, and having surprised and devoured the proprietor, instals 
herself therein. 
The fur of the Common Marten is valuable, but it does not 
bear comparison with that of some of the other species of which 
we are about to speak. 
The Sable (. Mustela zibellina) is furnished with a fine and soft 
coat. In summer its neck is greyish, but the rest of its body 
is of a rich fawn-colour. This little animal, eagerly sought after 
on account of its fur, has its habitat in the northern regions of 
Siberia and European Bussia. The Turks, Bussians, and Chinese 
are the principal purchasers of their skins, and distribute them in 
trade far and wide, through Europe and Asia. The winter coat 
