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MARTEN

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Originally appearing in Volume V17, Page 786 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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MARTEN ,' a name originally belonging to the See also:

pine-marten (Mustela martes), but now applied to all members of the same ' By all old authors, as See also:Ray, See also:Pennant, See also:Shaw and See also:Fleming, the word is written " See also:Martin," but this See also:form of spelling is now generally reserved for the See also:bird (see MARTIN). The word, as applied to the See also:animal here described, occurs in most Germanic and Romanic See also:languages: See also:German, marder; Dutch, marter; See also:Swedish, mard; Danish, maar; See also:English, marteron, martern, marten, martin and martlelt; See also:French, marte and martre; See also:Italian, martora andmartorella; See also:Spanish and Portuguese, marta. Its earliest known use is in the form See also:manes (See also:Martial, Ep. x. 37), but it can scarcely be an old Latin word, as it is not found in See also:Pliny or other classical writers, and Martial often introduced See also:foreign words into his Latin. Its See also:etymology hasgenus of carnivorous mammals (see See also:CARNIVORA). See also:Martens are limited to the See also:northern hemisphere, ranging throughout the greater See also:part of the northern temperate regions of both Old and New Worlds, and southwards in See also:America to 35° N. See also:lat., while in See also:Asia one See also:species is met with in See also:Java. The species appear to be similar in their habits. They live in See also:woods and rocky places, and spend most of their See also:time in trees, although descending to the ground in quest of See also:prey. They climb with See also:great facility, and are agile and graceful in their movements. Some are said occasionally to resort to berries and other See also:fruit for See also:food, but as a See also:rule they are carnivorous, feeding chiefly on birds and their eggs, small mammals, as squirrels, See also:hares, rabbits and moles, but chiefly mice of various kinds, and occasionally See also:snakes, lizards and frogs. In proportion to their See also:size they are among the most bloodthirsty of animals, though less so than the weasels. The See also:female makes her See also:nest of See also:moss, dried leaves and grass in the hollow of a See also:tree, but sometimes in a hole among rocks or ruined buildings, and produces several See also:young at a See also:birth, usually from four to six.

Though See also:

wild and untameable to a great degree if captured when fully grown, if taken young they are docile, and have frequently been made pets, not having the strong unpleasant odour of the smaller Mustelidae. The pine-marten appears to have been partially domesticated by the Greeks and See also:Romans, and used to keep houses clear from rats and mice. In the same way, according to See also:Brian See also:Hodgson, the yellow-bellied See also:weasel (Putorius kathia) " is exceedingly prized by the Nepalese for its service in See also:ridding houses of rats. It is easily tamed; and such is the dread of it See also:common to all murine animals that not one will approach a See also:house where it is domiciled." It is, however, to the great value attached to the pelts of these animals that their importance to See also:man is chiefly due. Though all yield See also:fur of serviceable quality, the commercial value varies immensely, not only according to the species from which it is obtained, but according to individual variation, depending upon See also:age, See also:sex, See also:season, and other circumstances. The skins from northern regions are more full and of a finer See also:colour and See also:gloss than those from more temperate climates, as are those of animals killed in See also:winter compared to the same individuals in summer. See also:Fashion has, moreover, set fictitious values upon slight shades of colour. Enormous See also:numbers of animals are caught, chiefly in traps, to See also:supply the demand of the fur See also:trade, See also:Siberia and See also:North America being the See also:principal localities from which they are obtained. With the exception of the pekan (M. pennanti), the martens are much alike in size, See also:general colouring and See also:cranial and dental characters. The following description by Dr See also:Elliott See also:Coues of the See also:American marten (M. americana) will apply almost equally well to most of the others. " It is almost impossible to describe the colour of the marten, except in general terms, without going into the details of the endless diversities occasioned by age, sex, season, or other incidents. The animal is ' See also:brown,' of a shade from See also:orange or tawny to quite blackish; the tail and feet are ordinarily the darkest, the See also:head lightest, often quite whitish; the ears usually have a whitish rim, while on the See also:throat there is usually a large tawny-yellowish or orange-brown patch, from the See also:chin to the fore legs, sometimes entire, sometimes broken into a number of smaller, irregular blotches, sometimes wanting, sometimes prolonged on the whole under See also:surface, when the animal is bicolor like a stoat in summer.

The general ' brown' has a greyish See also:

cast, as far as the under fur is concerned, and is overlaid with See also:rich lustrous blackish-brown in places where the See also:long bristly hairs prevail. The claws are whitish; the naked See also:nose See also:pad and whiskers are See also:black. The tail occasionally shows interspersed See also:white hairs, or a white tip." The following are the best-known species : Mustela foina: the See also:beech-marten, See also:stone-marten or white-breasted marten.—Distinguished from the following by the greater breadth of the See also:skull, and some See also:minute but See also:constant dental characters, by the dull greyish-brown colour of the fur of the upper parts and the pure white of the throat and See also:breast. It inhabits the greater part of the See also:continent of See also:Europe, but is more See also:southern than the next in its See also:distribution, not being found in See also:Sweden or See also:Norway. M. martes, the pine-marten (see figure).—Fur rich dark brown; under fur reddish-See also:grey, with clear yellow tips; breast spot usually yellow, varying from See also:bright orange to See also:pale cream-colour or yellowish-white. Length of head and See also:body 16 to 18 in., of tail (including been connected with the German " martern," to torment. A second Romanic name for the same animal is fuina, in French fouine. The See also:term " Marten See also:Cat ' is also used. the See also:hair) 9 to 12 in. This species is extensively distributed throughout northern Europe and Asia, and was formerly common in most parts of Great See also:Britain and See also:Ireland. It is still found in the northern counties of See also:England and North See also:Wales, but in decreasing numbers. In See also:Scotland it is rare, but in Ireland may be found in almost every See also:county occasionally.

Though commonly called Ui The Pine-Marten (Mustela mattes). " pine-marten," it does not appear to have any See also:

special preference for coniferous trees. Next comes M. zibellina, the See also:sable (German, Zobel and Zebel ; Swedish, sabel; See also:Russian, Sobel, a word probably of Turanian origin), which closely resembles the last, if indeed it differs except in the quality of the fur—the most highly valued of that of all the See also:group. The sable is found chiefly in eastern Siberia. Very distinct is the brilliantly coloured orange-and-black See also:Indian marten (M. flavigula), found from the See also:Himalaya and See also:Ceylon to Java. The North American M. americana is closely allied to the pine-marten and See also:Asiatic sable. The importance of the fur of this animal as an See also:article of See also:commerce may be judged of from the fact that 15,000 skins were sold in one See also:year by the See also:Hudson's See also:Bay See also:Company as long ago as 1743. It is ordinarily caught in wooden traps of See also:simple construction, being little enclosures of stakes or See also:brush in which the bait is placed upon a trigger, with a See also:short upright stick supporting a See also:log of See also:wood, which falls upon its victim on the slightest disturbance. A See also:line of such traps, several to a mile, often extends many See also:miles. The bait is any See also:kind of See also:meat, a See also:mouse, See also:squirrel, piece of See also:fish or bird's head. It is principally trapped during the colder months, from See also:October to See also:April, when the fur is in See also:good See also:condition, as it is nearly valueless during the shedding in summer. It maintains its numbers partly in consequence of its shyness, which keeps it away from the abodes of men, and partly because it is so prolific, bringing forth six to eight young at a See also:litter.

Its See also:

home is sometimes a den under ground or beneath rocks, but oftener the hollow of a tree, and it is said to take See also:possession of a squirrel's nest, See also:driving off or devouring the rightful proprietor. The pekan or Pennant's marten, also called See also:fisher marten, though there appears to be nothing in its habits to justify the appellation, is the largest of the group, the head and body measuring from 24 to 30 in., and the tail 14 to 18 in. It is also more robust in form than the others, its general aspect being more that of a See also:fox than a weasel; in fact its usual name among the American hunters is " black fox." Its general colour is blackish, lighter by mixture of brown or grey on the head and upper fore part of the body, with no See also:light patch on the throat, and unlike other martens generally darker below than above. It was generally distributed in wooded districts throughout the greater part of North America, as far north as Great Slave See also:Lake, lat. 63° N., and See also:Alaska, and extending See also:south to the parallel of 35°; but at the See also:present time is almost exterminated in the settled parts of the See also:United States See also:east of the See also:Mississippi. (W. H.

End of Article: MARTEN

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