JUST WAIT'LL CHICKEN IS $5 PER POUND....:

Go nuts over elusive pine martens (PETER RANSCOMBE, 6/07/06, The Scotsman)

ITS nocturnal habit of scampering through the forest may make the pine marten one of Scotland's most elusive creatures, but its liking for peanut butter means you are still in with a chance of spotting one.

With its slender body and a long bushy tail, the pine marten is a member of the weasel family. Its body is about 54cm long, with its tail adding another 25cm. In the summer, the pine marten has short, dark brown hair on its back and paws, with creamier hair on its chest and in its ears. When winter comes, its fur turns more grey and becomes bushier, with hairs appearing on the soles of its feet.

The pine marten enjoys a varied diet, from field voles and birds, through to fungi and berries. But its reputation for stealing eggs and killing chickens has earned it a bad name with farmers and gamekeepers - hunting and trapping, when coupled with the destruction of their forest homes, make the pine marten a rare species.

Once common in many parts of Britain, the main strongholds of the pine marten are now north of the Great Glen, although it has recently been introduced to the Galloway Forest and has been spotted along the shores of Loch Lomond.