FUR ANIMALS. 445 



anything edible in the house. It has been known to ran- 

 sack cabins while the inmates were absent, and to steal ev- 

 erything in them that was at all portable, and tp bury it 

 deep in the ground. Such caches are often found by the 

 odor of the excretions, as these are strong enough to be 

 smelled several feet away. 



The many tales told of its boldness, courage, and cun- 

 ning prove that it is one of the shrewdest animals on the 

 continent, and one of the most difficult to capture; for, if 

 old trappers are to be relied on, it steals the bait from be- 

 hind out of the traps, so that it avoids all danger. In or- 

 der to catch it, the traps have to be covered with boughs, 

 so as to make them resemble a cache as much as possible, 

 and the natural propensity of the creature then induces it 

 to steal whatever that contains. No clumsy contrivance 

 will do to catch it, however, and if the trap be of steel, and 

 it is not well fastened, the wolverene will probably walk 

 away with it. 



The animal will, it is said, shade its eyes with its paws 

 on seeing a man approaching it from the leeward, and gaze 

 at him intently until he draws quite near; and it will then 

 either retreat or show fight, according to its disposition. 

 It does not climb trees or hibernate, and its ordinary food 

 is small animals, or such offal as it may find. It is, on the 

 whole, one of the most interesting creatures in the country, 

 and possesses an individuality of character which none of 

 its allies can boast. It is probably the greatest enemy the 

 fox has ; as it will open up the burrows of the latter and 

 devour the cubs, and their parents, if convenient, in the 

 most ravenous manner. It is as destructive to Reynard 

 and all his offspring as the latter is to the denizens of the 

 farm-yard, and the result is that it destroys many young 

 foxes in the course of the year. 



Its allies of the Mustelince are very numerous in some 

 portions of the North-west a fact that is evident from 

 the large number of peltries sold annually in Europe. The 

 greater portion of these are purchased for the French, Ger- 

 man, and Russian markets, where furs are largely worn, 



