488 BIG GAME OF NORTH AMERICA. 



sheep-herder, in this case, could justly have charged part 

 of his loss to the Wolverine. M. Hedberg tells us that 

 three were captured young in the Parish of Gellivaara, in 

 Lapland. "They were allowed their full liberty; but in 

 the autumn, the servant having forgotten to fasten the 

 door of the building wherein the sheep were confined, the 

 Gluttons found their way into it and killed several sheep." 



As before stated, the Wolverine is nocturnal in habit, 

 and there are but few recorded instances of its having been 

 seen during the day. An aged trapper once told me of 

 having s*een one in Pot-hole Valley, Colorado, one wintry 

 day; and Mr. Lockhart, inCoues' "Fur-bearing Animals," 

 mentions two cases, in each of which the animal sat upon 

 its haunches and shaded its eyes with a paw, the inference 

 being that it could not see well in the sunlight. It does 

 not hibernate, but in winter prosecutes its search for food 

 with even more vigor than in summer. 



Examples coming within my own observation show the 

 male and female to be equal in size. 



Without doubt, its most conspicuous habit is that of fol- 

 lowing the trapper and destroying his wooden traps.- To 

 the Hudson's Bay trapper, who was formerly unable to 

 obtain poison and steel-traps, except at ruinous prices,* 

 this was highly exasperating. Imagine the feelings of a 

 man who has built, set, and baited one hundred and fifty 

 traps, extending over a circuit of fifty miles, and who finds 

 on his first visit, perhaps a week later, every one destroyed, 

 the baits eaten, and the catch torn in pieces or carried away! 



* What these prices were, we are unable to say; but, if we may judge from an article in 

 the February, 1890, Cosmopolitan Magazine, by J. Macdonald Oxley, the profits probably 

 exceeded the conservative three per cent, of our Government. Note this: "There has been 

 a wonderful change in values since the good old days in the early part of this century. 

 When Fort Dunvegan was established, on the Peace River, near the Rockies, the regular 

 price of a trade-musket was Rocky Mountain sables piled up on each side until they were 

 level with its muzzle when held upright. Now, these sables were worth in England about 

 three pounds apiece, while the cost of the musket did not exceed one pound." 



While this practice may have been more satisfactory to the Indians than that of the 

 early Hollanders, who are said to have used "the strong right hand" as a ppund-weight 

 when weighing peltry, the result was practically the same. Mr. Oxley further says: 

 " These muskets came to be wof ully long, in time." If we suppose them to have been fifty 

 inches long, and each hide to have occupied an inch of space, we have a gross profit of 

 $1,495 on each musket I 



