If there are two mustelids that truly belong to the deep woods of the Forรชt de Soignes, it is the Martre des pins (๐๐๐๐ก๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ก๐๐ , Boommarter) and the Putois dโEurope (๐๐ข๐ ๐ก๐๐๐ ๐๐ข๐ก๐๐๐๐ข๐ , Bunzing). Both nocturnal, both discreet, both far more often suspected than seen.
Martre comes from old French forms linked to trading in fur, which tells you something about how valuable its pelt once was. The English name Pine Marten underlines its forest preferences. The scientific name Martes martes is a simple Latinised echo of the common name.
The Putois, on the other hand, has a name that hints at a rather pungent defensive scent. The Dutch Bunzing may come from older Germanic words for a burrowing predator. In English we call it the Polecat, possibly from French poule-chat, the chicken-cat, reflecting its raids on poultry in older rural landscapes.
Regarding diet & habit, the Martre is partly arboreal, lean and long, and comfortable high in the canopy. It hunts small mammals, birds, insects and will happily take berries when in season. The Putois is more of a ground hunter, often following wet hollows and streams, and it has a reputation for a powerful musk. Both are nocturnal, accomplished hunters and utterly at home away from people.
The Martre was historically associated with noble hunting forests, prized for its pelt and admired for its agility. In older tales it sometimes symbolised the unseen spirit of the woods. The Putois is more rustic in folklore, occasionally cast as a mischievous henhouse raider. Yet both carry that old European idea of the forest as a place where wild things move quietly while most of us sleep.