A vivacious and nimble animal is the sable, which dwells in the remotest recesses of the forests, beneath the roots of trees, and in holes of the earth, and penetrates to the very borders of the realm of perpetual snow. Prodigious numbers are killed in Siberia, during the months of November, December, and January. The hunters assemble in large companies, and make their way down the great rivers in boats, carrying sufficient supplies of provisions for a three months’ absence. On reaching the appointed place of rendezvous, the different companies, each under the direction of a leader, fix upon their respective quarters, erect huts of trees, and build up the snow around them. In the neighbourhood of these they lay their snares; and then, advancing another mile or so, they set a further quantity; and thus they proceed, until they have covered a considerable area of ground; building huts in each locality, and returning in due order to each set of snares to collect their prey. These snares are of the simplest construction; nothing more than small pits or cavities, loosely covered with rough planks or branches of trees, and baited with fish or flesh. When the game grows scarce, the trappers follow the sable to their retreats by tracking their footprints over the fresh-fallen snow; place nets at their entrances; and quietly wait, if it be for two or three days, until the animals make their appearance.
THE ERMINE AND SABLE MARTEN.
The fur of the sable is distinguished from all other furs by this singular property: the hair has no particular inclination, but may be laid down indifferently in any direction whatever.
The genus Polecat (Mustela putarius) comprehends the smallest of all known carnivores,—namely, the weasel, the ferret, and the ermine. The temperate countries of Europe possess a variety of the latter species; but the ermines of the remote North yield the fullest and softest fur. These animals, like many others in high latitudes, change the colour of their coat according to the season. They have been adopted by poets, on account of the spotless whiteness of their fur, as emblematic of purity; but, in truth, they merit that honour only in the winter: in the summer their colour is a clear maroon. The tail, at all times, is of a beautiful brilliant black.
THE GLUTTON, OR WOLVERINE.
Another carnivorous quadruped which haunts the northern forests is the Glutton (Gulo Arcticus), or Wolverine; it owes its former and more popular name to its extreme voracity. But it is at least as remarkable for its strength and fierceness, inasmuch as it does not fear to dispute their prey with the wolf and bear; and for its cunning, since it baffles again and again the most carefully devised stratagems of the hunter. It is a slow and somewhat unwieldy animal; but it is determined and persevering, and will proceed at a steady pace for miles in search of prey, stealing unawares upon hares, marmots, and birds; and surprising even the larger quadrupeds, such as the elk and the reindeer, when asleep.