The Martin is about the bignesse of a Fox.
The Martin[359] is a beast about the bignes of a Foxe. His furre is chestnutt coloure: and of those there are greate store in the Northerne parts of the Country, and is a good commodity.
Racowne.
The Racowne[360] is a beast as bigg, full out, as a Foxe, with a Bushtayle. His Flesh excellent foode: his oyle precious for the Syattica:[361] his furre course, but the skinnes serve the Salvages for coats, and is with those people of more esteeme then a coate of beaver, [{79}] because of the tayles that (hanging round in their order) doe adorne the garment, and is therefore so much esteemed of them. His fore feete are like the feete of an ape; and by the print thereof, in the time of snow, he is followed to his hole, which is commonly in a hollow tree; from whence hee is fiered out, and so taken.
The Foxes red and gray.
The Foxes are of two coloures; the one redd, the other gray:[362] these feede on fish, and are good furre:[363] they doe not stinke, as the Foxes of England, but their condition for their pray is as the Foxes of England.
The Wolfes of diverse coloures.
The Wolfes are of divers coloures;[364] some sandy coloured, some griselled, and some black: their foode is fish, which they catch when they passe up the rivers into the ponds to spawne, at the spring time. The Deare are also their pray, and at summer, when they have whelpes, the bitch will fetch a puppy dogg from our dores to feede their whelpes with. They are fearefull Curres, and will runne away from a man, (that meeteth them by chaunce at a banke end,) as fast as any fearefull dogge.[365] These pray upon the Deare very much. The skinnes are used by the Salvages, especially the skinne of the black wolfe, which is esteemed a present for a prince there.
The skin of a black wolfe a present for a prince.
When there ariseth any difference betweene prince and prince, the prince that desires to be reconciled to his neighboring prince does endeavour to purchase it by sending him a black wolfes skinne for a present, and the acceptance of such a present is an assurance of reconciliation betweene them; and the [{80}] Salvages will willingly give 40. beaver skinnes for the purchase of one of these black Wolfes skinnes:[366] and allthough the beast himselfe be a discommodity, which other Countries of Christendome are subject unto, yet is the skinne of the black wolfe worthy the title of a commodity, in that respect that hath bin declared.