Sable is one of the most beautiful of furs. It was not known in Europe until long after ermine had been discovered. The sable had its home in the north-east of Asia, and the Russians are said to have conquered Siberia so as to acquire a right to these fur-producing districts. The sable is a native of Siberia, and is found in its coldest regions, at least wherever there are forests of enough density, and the progress of discovery in the north-eastern parts of Siberia has been much indebted to the expeditions of hardy and daring sable hunters.

These men explore new regions at the worst seasons of the year, and spend dreary months at a great distance from human abodes. They have many a hard day in the snow before they catch this small but precious creature, whose tracks can hardly be seen in the wide snow wastes.

The sable is taken in traps, which are a kind of pitfall, as the greatest care must be used to avoid injury to the fur. In some cases it is tracked through the snow to its hole, and caught by placing a net over the entrance.

The sable is wary game, and by no means easily captured. The little animal makes its nest in a hollow tree, or else by burrowing in the ground, and in either case lines its lair with soft layers of moss, grass, or leafage. From this it issues to prey on smaller creatures, and it is so agile that it can catch birds in the branches of trees.

Although the sable inhabits the Arctic regions, it does not, like many Arctic animals, change to white in the winter, for, as it lives mostly amongst dark branches, white would be fatally conspicuous.

Sable is a species of marten, and so nearly allied to the common marten that it is hard to state specific distinctions. There is, however, one marked difference; - namely, that the sable's feet are covered with fur, even to the soles, and that its tail is more bushy than that of the marten. It is about the same size as the marten, the length of its body averaging twelve inches, and that of its tail about seven or eight inches. These tails are valuable as a decorative feature on muffs.