Feb., IQI2. Mammals of Illinois and Wisconsin — Cory. 355 



Mr. Edward G. Kingsford of Iron Mountain, Michigan, a gentleman 

 who is perfectly familiar with this animal, writes me as follows: "From 

 1880 until 1900 I was in the woods of northern Wisconsin, Michigan 

 and Minnesota nearly all the time, both summer and winter. I have 

 never heard of a Wolverine being killed nearer here than the Rainey 

 Lake District of Minnesota and have never seen the tracks of one here. 

 About 1895 to 1897 they were quite plentiful in northern Minnesota. 

 Trappers complained of their depredations the same as they did here in 

 the early days, so it is quite probable that they may have been killed 

 not many years ago in the northwestern part of Wisconsin, as they are 

 great travellers." 



The Milwaukee Public Museum collection contains two mounted 

 specimens which may or may not have been actually taken in the state, 

 as they are labeled "Wisconsin, " without date or locality. 



From its earliest mention by writers in the i6th century, the Wolver- 

 ine or Glutton, as it was called, has been the subject of the most extra- 

 ordinary tales and superstitions. Fabulous stories were told of its 

 ferocity, strength and sagacity, which each succeeding writer gravely 

 repeated, usually adding something equally extravagant on his own 

 account. Olaus Magnus (1562) was responsible for one of the most 

 ridiculous fables which seems to have been accepted without comment 

 and apparently endorsed by various writers for two hundred years. 

 According to his account, the Glutton, after feasting upon the carcass of 

 a large animal until its belly was swollen to such an extent it could hold 

 no more, obtained relief by squeezing itself between two trees in order 

 that it might return to glut itself anew.* Topsell considered this 

 absurd story worthy of pictorial illustration and not to be outdone by 

 his predecessors, gravely infonns us that when the beast can find no 

 trees growing sufificiently near together to accomplish his purpose, 

 "then taketh he an Alder-tree and with his fore-feete rendeth the same 

 asunder, and passeth through the middest of it for the cause aforesaid."! 

 Other writers allowed their imagination free play in commenting upon 

 its wonderful sagacity. I quote from Dr. Elliott Coues's charmingly 

 written history of this animal. He says: "Still in the track of the 

 marvellous, we read how the Glutton, too clumsy and tardy of foot to 

 overtake large Ruminants, l^etakes itself to the trees beneath which 

 they may pass, and there crouches in wait for its victim; it drops like 



* " Hoc animal voracissimum est, reperto namique cadavere tantum vorat ut 

 violento cibo corpus instar tympani extendatur: inventaque angustia inter arbores se 

 stringit ut violentius egerat: sicque extenuatum revertitur ad cadaver et ad summum 

 usque repletur. iterumque se strigit angustia priore." (Olaus Magnus, Historia de 

 Gentibus Septentrionalibus, 1652, p. 138.) 



t Historie of Foure Footed Beastes, London, 1607, p. 262. 



