492 BIG GAME OF NORTH AMERICA. 



for you will surely fail. A Manitoba friend is with me in 

 this assertion, and further confirmation comes from an inci- 

 dent which hajjpened during an outing in the summer of 

 1888. At the time, my companion was hunting Deer in 

 Rock Creek Canon, Egeria Park, Colorado, and upon com- 

 ing to camp, told of having seen a strange animal, at 

 dusk, which ran through the scattering quaking asjiens 

 with such speed that he was unable to l)ring his rifie to 

 bear upon it. When he described the animal, we became 

 certain that he had seen a Wolverine. 



At this date, there is practically no market value upon 

 the skins. The very few which reach Colorado buyers sell 

 at from six to eight dollars each; those fit for mounting 

 commanding the best figures. Formerly, they were consid- 

 ered nearly worthless in commerce, as is evinced by the 

 post-traders intrusting many of those bought at low prices 

 to the care of certain Indians, w^ho traded them to distant 

 tribes for salable peltry. As the possession of a skin 

 marked the owner as a skillful trapj)er, and the middle- 

 men received liberal commissions, considerable trading of 

 this kind was done; the skins finally finding their way to 

 the trading-stations again whenever the wants of iDoor Lo 

 were great. 



The Cree Ijidians, who have the best opx)ortunities for 

 studying the breeding-habits of this species, say the mother 

 boldly defends her young when molested by man or beast. 

 Unless provided with some means of defense, the Indians 

 avoid the mother at this time, notwithstanding the state- 

 ment of Johnson to the effect that the Wolverine flees from 

 the face of man, and that he requires no other arm than a 

 stick to kill it. Though a suitable green club would surely 

 win, a large majority of hunters would prefer a weapon of 

 longer range, and favor pitting the chances of a miss or a 

 misfire against that of being disrobed in an animated 

 set-to, in a frigid country, where the clothing-stores are 

 often two hundred miles apart. 



A curious trait of this animal is the suspicion with which 

 it at first regards anj^hing that has been touched by the 



