< ASM.LI/S POPULAR NATURAL H1STO11Y. 



TliETH OK GLUTTON. 



Till: GLUTTON, OR WOLVERENE.* 



ACCORDING to Lesson, this animal inhabits a complete circle round the north pole, in Europe-. 

 and Asia, as well as America. Its head is broad and compact, suddenly rounded off on every side 

 to form the nose ; the jaws resembling those of a dog in shape ; the back arched ; the tail low 



and bushy ; the leg.-? thick and short ; the whole 

 aspect indicating strength without much ac- 

 tivity. The fur is generally dark brown, pass- 

 ing, in the height of winter, almost into black. 

 A pale reddish-brown band, mure or less 

 distinct, and sometimes fading into soiled 

 brownish- white, commences behind the shoul- 

 ders, and, running along the flanks, turns 

 up on the hip, and unites with its fellow 

 on the rump. The short tail is thickly 

 covered witli long black hair ; there are 

 some white markings, not constant in size 

 or number, on the throat and between the 

 fore legs ; the legs are brownish-black ; the 

 claws strong and sharp. 



Mr. Graham states that the Wolverenes 

 are extremely mischievous, and that they do more 

 damage to the small fur trade than all the other 

 animals conjointly. They will follow the marteii- 

 huuter's path round a line of traps extending forty, fifty, or sixty miles, and render the whole 

 unserviceable, merely to come at the baits, which are generally the head of a partridge or a bit of 

 dried veuisou. They are not fond of the martens themselves, btit never fail of tearing them in pieces, 

 or of burying them in the snow by the side of the path, at a considerable distance from the trap. 

 Drifts of snow often conceal the repositories thus made of the martens at the expense of the hunter, 

 in which case they supply a feast for the hungry fox, whose sagacious nostrils guide him unerringly 

 to the spot ; and two or three foxes are often seen following the wolverene for this purpose. 



The Glutton is so suspicious, that it will rarely enter a trap itself; but, beginning behind, pulls it 

 to pieces, scatters the logs of which it is built, and then carries off the bait. It feeds also on meadow- 

 mice, marmots, and other rodents, and occasionally on disabled quadrupeds of a larger size. Sir John 

 Richardson has seen one chasing an American hare, which was at the same time harassed by a snowy 

 owl. 



The glutton resembles the bear in its gait, and is not fleet, but it is very industrious, and no doubt 

 feeds well, as it is generally fat. It is much abroad ill the winter, and the track of its journey in a 

 single night may be often traced for many miles. From the shortness of its legs, it makes its way 

 through loose snow with difficulty ; but when it falls on the beaten track of a marten- trapper, it will 

 pursue it for a long way. 



Sir James lloss thus describes an incident that occurred in Victoria harbour : " In the middle of 



the winter, two or three months before we abandoned the ship, we were one day surprised by a visit 



irom a glutton, which, pressed hard by hunger, had climbed the snow-wall that surrounded our vessel, 



anil came boldly on deck, where our crew were walking for exercise. Undismayed at the presence of 



twelve or fourteen men, he seized upon a canister which had some meat in it, and was in so ravenous a 



state, that whilst busily engaged at his feast he suffered me to pass a noose over his head, by which he 



was immediately secured and strangled. By discharging the contents of two secreting organs, it 



I a most, insupportable stench. These secreting vessels are about the size of a walnut, and 



MbMga a fluid of a yellowish-brown colour, and of the consistence of honey, by the rectum, when 



hard proved by its enemia ." 



* Gulu lubcu^. 



