204 



THE WOLVERENE. 



tubercles on the soles of the fore-feet, and four on the hind-feet ; no tuber- 

 cle on the heel. 



The tail is rather short, hangs low, and is covered with pendulous 

 hairs. " There are two secretory organs about the size of a walnut, from 

 which it discharges a fluid of a yellowish-browTi colour and of the con- 

 sistence of honey, by the rectum, when hard pressed by its enemies." — 

 Ross. 



COLOUR. 



Under fur, deep chesnut-brown, a shade lighter near the roots ; the 

 longer hairs are blackish-brown throughout their whole length, the 

 hair having very much the appearance of that of the bear. Eyes, nose, 

 and whiskers, black ; a pale reddish-brown band commences behind the 

 shoulder, and running along the flanks, turns up on the hip, and unites 

 on the rump with similar markings on the opposite side. There is a 

 brownish-white band across the forehead running from ear to ear. On 

 the sides of the neck there are tufts of white hair extending nearly in a 

 circle from the inside of the legs around the chest. Legs and tail, broAvn- 

 ish-black; claws, dark-brown. The colour varies greatly in difl'erent 

 specimens, and although there is a strong general resemblance among all 

 we have examined, we are not surprised that attempts have been made 

 from these varieties to multiply the species. There are however no per- 

 manent varieties among the many specimens we have examined. The 

 peculiar lateral band, although it exists in all, diflers a few shades in 

 colour. In some specimens it is of a chesnut colour, in others light fer- 

 ruginous, and in a few cases ash-coloured. We find these differences of 

 colour existing on both continents, and not confined to either. We have 

 never seen a specimen of a Wolverene as light in colour as that to which 

 LiNNiEus gave the specific name of luscus, and we regard it as a mere 

 accidental variety. We have found American specimens obtained in the 

 Polar regions fully as black as those from Russia. 



DIMENSIONS. 



Recent specimen, obtained in Rensselaer county, N. Y. 



Feet 



From point of nose to root of tail 

 Tail (vertebrEe) 

 Height to shoulder . 



" of ear, posteriorly 

 Length of hair on body . 

 From heels to point of nails 

 Breadth of hind-foot 



2 

 

 1 

 

 

 

 



Inches. 



9 

 8 

 

 I 

 4 

 5 

 4 



Lines. 





 

 

 6 

 

 



