The Home of the Wolverene mid Beaver. 235 



All travellers in the Hudson's Bay Territor)', 

 from Ellis and Pennant in early days, to Lord 

 Milton and Dr. Cheadle in our own time, unite in 

 testifying to the wonderful perseverance of the 

 wolverene in following the footsteps of the trappers 

 in order to obtain the bait, or to devour the animals 

 that may have been caught therein. In an old 

 book now before me, Hearn's Journey to the 

 Northern Ocean, a curious record of the perse- 

 verance and pluck of a Hudson's Bay officer, I 

 find many anecdotes of the various animals 

 encountered by the traveller in his wanderings ; 

 and amongst others the following account of the 

 wolverene, which I venture to extract at length, as 

 the original work is scarce, and not likely to fall 

 into the hands of the majority of readers. 



" The wolverene is common in the Northern 

 regions as far north as the Copper River, and 

 perhaps farther. They are equally the inhabitants 

 cf woods and barren grounds ; for the Esquimaux 

 to the north of Churchill kill many of them when 

 their skins are in excellent season : a proof of their 

 being capable of bearing the severest cold. They 

 are very slow in their pace, but their wonderful 

 sagacity, strength, and acute scent, make ample 

 amends for that defect; for they are seldom killed 

 at any season v^hen they do not prove very fat : 



