384 SPORTING ADVENTURES 



cabins are rifled in the most careful manner by this kleptoma- 

 niac during- the absence of the proprietors, and what it cannot 

 eat it destroys or conceals. It is caught very frequently in 

 steel traps or in dead-falls made of large logs, the bait being 

 generally a piece of meat or some small animal, such as a 

 rat or a squirrel, which has been sprinkled with castoreum. 

 It is one of the greatest enemies the trapper has, as it will 

 follow a line of martin traps for fifty miles, should they extend 

 that distance, and devour all the captives. 



The young, which generally number four or five at a time, are 

 brought forth in burrows, and while these are sucking, the mother 

 is seldom seen ; but should she be encountered she would fight 

 as courageously as any animal living in defence of her cubs. 



The fur of this creature is so highly prized for carriage robes 

 that professional trappers consider themselves fortunate if they 

 can get a few peltries, as they bring 1 good prices, generally 

 from four to ten dollars each. These men say that it will 

 scatter its excretions over all food it may have concealed, to 

 prevent other animals from touching- it, and so foetid are these 

 in scent that even a starving wolf will not approach any object 

 under their protection. 



The wolverine is probably one of the most ferocious animals 

 known, when attacked or wounded, and, for its size, it is also one 

 of the strongest, a fact which may be inferred from the ease with 

 which it will pull down a disabled deer. It is not only brave 

 but daring, for it will boldly enter a cabin when hung-iy, 

 and fight, if forced to it, for anything- edible in the house. It 

 has been known to ransack cabins while the inmates were 

 absent and to steal everything in them that was at all portable, 

 and to bury it deep in the ground. Such caches are often 

 found by the odour of the excretions, as these are strong 

 enough to be smelt several feet away. 



The many tales told of its boldness, courage, and cunning, 

 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 behind out of the 

 traps, so that it avoids all danger. In order to catch it, the 

 traps have to be covered with boughs, so as to make them 



