THE WOLVERENE. 207 



We took him out of his cage ; he was very gentle, opened his mouth to 

 enable us to examine his teeth, and buried his head in our lap whilst we 

 admired his long claws, and felt his woolly feet ; he seemed pleased to 

 escape from the confinement of the cage, ran round us in short circles, 

 and made awkward attempts to play with and caress us, which reminded 

 us very much of the habit of the American black bear. He had been 

 taught to sit on his haunches, and hold in his mouth a German pipe. 

 We observed he was somewhat averse to the light of the sim, keeping 

 his eyes half closed when exposed to its rays. The keeper informed us 

 that he suffered a good deal from the heat in warm weather, that he 

 drank water freely, and ate meat voraciously, but consumed more in -win- 

 ter than in summer. There was in the same cage a marmot from the 

 Alps, {Arctomijs marnwta.) to which the Wolverene seemed much at- 

 tached. When returned to his cage he rolled himself up like a ball, his 

 long shaggy hairs so completely covering his limbs that he presented the 

 appearance of a bear-skin rolled up into a bundle. 



In the United States the Wolverene has always existed very sparingly, 

 and only in the northern districts. About thirty-five years ago, we saw 

 in the possession of a country merchant in Lansingburg, New York, three 

 skins of this species, that had as we were informed been obtained on the 

 Green Mountains of Vermont ; about the same time we obtained a speci- 

 men in Rensselaer county, near the banks of the Hoosack river. While 

 hunting the Northern hare, Lnunediately after a heavy fall of snow, 

 ■we unexpectedly came upon the track of an animal which at the time 

 we supposed to be that of a bear, a species which even then was scarcely 

 kno^vn in that portion of the country, (which was already prettj- thickly 

 settled.) We followed the broad trail over the hills and through the de- 

 vious windings of the forest for about five miles, till within sight of a 

 ledge of rocks on the banks of the Hoosack river, when, as we found the 

 night approaching, we were reluctantly compelled to give up the pursuit 

 for that day, intending to resume it on the following morning. It snowed 

 incessantly for two days afterwards, and believing that the bear had re- 

 tired to his winter retreat, we concluded that the chance of adding it to 

 our collection had passed by. Some weeks afterwards a favourite ser- 

 vant, ^vho was always anxious to aid us in our pursuits, and who not 

 only knew many quadrupeds and birds, but was acquainted with many 

 of their habits, informed us that he had on a previous day seen several 

 tracks similar to those we had described, crossing a ne^v road cut through 

 the forest. As early on the following morning as we could see a track 

 in the snow, we were fully accoutred, and with a gun and a pair of choice 

 hounds, started on what we conceived our second bear-hunt. Before 



