SABLE

A small quadruped, allied to the martin cat, celebrated for the tine quality and rich colour of its fur, of which the hairs turn with equal ease in every direction. A single skin of the darker colour, though not above four inches broad, has been valued as high as \U. The sable (Mustela zibellina, Linn.) is principally a native of the northern regions of Asia: it is hunted and killed for the Ru ian market, either by a single ball, a blunt arrow, or traps, by exiles or soldiers sent for that purpose in the deserts of Siberia. The skin is in the highest perfection from November to February. A nearly allied animal, called the " fisher," inhabits North America, and is similarly sought after and destroyed for its fur. Sable. In Heraldry, black: derived, probably, from the fur of the animal sable. One of the colours, or tinctures, employed in blazonry. It is equivalent to diamond among precious stones, Saturn among planets. In engraving, it is represented by vertical and horizontal lines cro ing each other. S.\CCHARIC ACID, (Lat. saccharum, sugar.) An uncrystallizable acid product, formed along with oxalic acid during the action of nitric acid on sugar. [s. 1086]