WOLVERENES. 85 



thirty inches long, a foot high at the shoulder, and 

 one foot six inches at the rump, hut it is very 

 compactly made.* With teeth that do not seem to 

 be peculiarly fitted for cutting wood, it will sever 

 a log equal to a man's thigh in thickness by constant 

 gnawing. In selecting the spot it intends to breach 

 it shows as much skill as the beaver, generally 



* Its Dog-rib name is Nbh-gaiye, pronounced from the 

 depths of the throat with a strong aspirate on the h. The 

 exact dimensions of a wolverene, which was surprised in one 

 of our caches and killed in the month of March, were as 

 follows : — 



Length from root of tail, measured along the back and Inch. 



between the ears to the point of the nose - 30*5 



Length of stump of tail ______ 6*5 



„ of long hairs at top of ditto - 5*5 



Total length of animal, including the entire tail - - 42.5 



Height at fore shoulder ______ 12-0 



„ at rump ---___-- 12*6 



Breadth of fore paw, the toes moderately spread - - 2'5 



„ of hind paw ___-__- 2 - 7 



The legs are remarkably muscular, the fore ones in particular, 

 when skinned, having a strong resemblance to a finely pro- 

 portioned, muscular human arm, rather than to the limb of a 

 quadruped. The paws are covered underneath with long 

 matted fur in winter, so that the small callosities that do 

 exist are discovered with difficulty. The anal glands, one on 

 each side, of the size of an olive, are filled with a very fetid 

 secretion of a yellowish colour, and the consistence of cream. 

 A young female produces two young ; an older one four ; and 

 it brings forth later in the summer than other ferine animals 

 inhabiting the same districts. 



g 3 



