210 ' THE WOLVERENE. 



slow progress of the Wolverene ; and the one seen by Richardson, in his 

 efforts to catch the tempting game must have been prompted by a long- 

 ing desire after hare's flesh, rather than by any confidence in his ability 

 to overtake the animal. 



All Northern travellers and writers on the natural history of the Arctic 

 regions, Ellis, Pennant, Hearne, Parry, Franklin, Richardson, &c., speak 

 of the indomitable perseverance of the Wolverene in following the foot- 

 steps of the trappers, in order to obtain the bait, or take from the traps the 

 Arctic fox, the marten, beaver, or any other animal that may be caught 

 in them. They demolish the houses built around the dead-falls, in order 

 to obtain the bait, and tear up the captured animals apparently from 

 a spirit of wanton destructiveness. Hearne (p. 373) gives an account 

 of their amazing strength, one of them having overset the greatest part 

 of a large pile of wood, measuring upwards of seventy yards round, to 

 get at some provisions that had been hid there. He saw another take 

 possession of a deer that an Indian had killed, and though the Indian ad- 

 vanced within twenty yards he would not relinquish his claims to it, but 

 suffered himself to be shot, standing on the deer. Hearne farther states, 

 '• they commit vast depredations on the foxes during the summer, while 

 the young ones are small ; their quick scent directs them to their den, 

 and if the entrance be too small, their strength enables them to widen it, 

 and go in and kill the mother and all her cubs ; in fact they are the most 

 destructive animals in this country." 



Capt. J. C. Ross, R.N., F.R.S., who gave an interesting account of the 

 animals seen in the memorable expedition of Sir John Ross, relates the 

 following anecdote of this species : — " In the middle of winter, two or 

 three months before ■we abandoned the ship, we ^vere one day surprised 

 by a visit from a Wolverene, which, hard pressed by hunger, had climbed 

 the snow wall that surrounded our vessel, and 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 that 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 imme- 

 diately secured and strangled." 



The Wolverene is at all times very suspicious of traps, and is seldom 

 taken in the log-traps set for the marten and Arctic fox; the usual mode 

 in which it is obtained is by steel-traps, which must be set with great 

 caution and concealed with much art. 



Captain Cartwright in his joui'nal speaks of having caught all he ob- 

 tained at Labrador in this manner, and we have seen several skins giving 

 evidence that the animals had been taken by the foot. 



