112 ANIMALS OF THE 



procure its prey ; to steal upon the retreats of the 

 rein-deer, the flesh of which animal it loves in 

 preference to all others ; to lie in wait for such 

 animals as have been maimed by the hunters ; to 

 pursue the isatis while it is hunting for itself; 

 and, when that animal has run down its prey, to 

 come in and seize upon the whole, and some- 

 times to devour even its poor provider: when 

 these pursuits fail, even to dig up the graves, 

 and fall upon the bodies interred there, devour- 

 ing them, bones and all. For these reasons, the 

 natives of the countries. where the glutton inha- 

 bits hold it in utter detestation, and usually term 

 it the vulture of quadrupeds. And yet it is ex- 

 traordinary enough, that being so very obnoxious 

 to man, it does not seem to fear him.* We are 

 told by Gmelin of one of these coming up boldly 

 and calmly where there were several persons at 

 work, without testifying the smallest apprehen- 

 sion, or attempting to run, until it had received 

 several blows that at last totally disabled it. In 

 all probability it came among them seeking its 

 prey ; and having been used to attack animals 

 of inferior strength, it had no idea of a force su- 

 perior to its own. The glutton, like all the rest 

 of its kind, is a solitary animal, and is never 

 seen in company except with its female, with 

 which it couples in the midst of winter. The 

 latter goes with young about four months, and 

 brings forth two or three at a time.t They bur- 

 row in holes as the weasel; and the male and 



* 15 nil bi i. f Linnaci Systema, p. 67. 



