Marten

a fur-bearing animal of the weasel family. The American or pine-marten is about twenty-four inches in total length. It is found throughout the northern row of states and northward to the timber limit. The fur is of a dark brown color and is much prized. The body is clothed with hairs of three lengths, long fine hairs, middle-length kinky hairs, and a close, fine, short fur, which renders the animal indifferent to cold or water. The marten is a flesh-eating animal with habits like those of the weasel. The fisher is a larger black marten ranging from Pennsylvania to Hudson Bay and westward. It has a length of about thirty-five inches including its tail, and is named from its proclivity for a fish diet. It is sometimes called the black-cat. The pine-marten is sometimes called the American sable. See Sable; Fur