THE GLUTTON. 29J 







former abstinence by its present voracity. As it is not pos 

 sessed of a feast of this kind every day, it resolves to lay 

 in a store to serve it for a good while to come, ft is, in- 

 deed, amazing how much one of these animals can eat at a 

 time ! That which was seen by Mr. Klein, although with- 

 out exercise or air, although taken from its native climate, 

 and enjoying but an indifferent state of health, was yel 

 seen to eat thirteen pounds of flesh every day, and yet re- 

 main unsatisfied. We may, therefore, easily conceive 

 how much more it must devour at once, after a long fast, 

 of a food of its own procuring, and in the climate most natu- 

 ral to its constitution. We are told, accordingly, that from 

 being a lank, thin animal, which it naturally is, it then gor- 

 ges in such quantities, that its belly is distended, and its 

 whole figure seems to alter. Thus voraciously it continues 

 eating, till incapable. of any other animal function, it lies 

 totally torpid by the animal it has killed ; and in this situa- 

 tion continues for two or three days. In this loathsome 

 and helpless state, it finds its chief protection from its hor- 

 rid smell, which few animals care to come near; so that it 

 continues eating and sleeping till its prey be devoured, 

 bones and all, and then it mounts a tree, in quest of 

 another adventure. 



The Glutton, like many others of the weasel kind, seems 

 to prefer the most putrid flesh to that newly killed; and 

 such is the voraciousness of this hateful creature, that, if its 

 swiftness and strength were equal to its rapacity, it would 

 soon thin the forest of every other living creature. But, 

 fortunately, it is so slow, that there is scarce a quadruped 

 that cannot escape it, except the beaver. This, therefore, 

 it very frequently pursues upon land ; but the beaver 

 generally makes good its retreat by taking to the water, 

 where the Glutton has no chance to succeed. This pur- 

 suit only happens in summer ; for in winter all that remains 

 is to attack the beaver's house, as at that time it never 

 stirs from home. This attack, however, seldom succeeds j 



