"48 
ANIMAT, INTELLIGENCE. 
passed, if not unequalled, in the animal kingdom. This 
may be shown by the two following quotations from the 
statements of trustworthy writers. The first is a letter 
kindly sent me by Dr. J. Rae, F.R.S., in reply to my 
request for information concerning the intelligence of this 
animal : — 
The narratives of most travellers in America tell wonderful 
stories of the glutton or wolverine, but I do not know that any 
of my experiences of this extremely acute animal indicate what 
I call reasoning powers. They are very suspicious, and can 
seldom or never be taken with poisoned bait, trap, or gun. The 
poisoned baits are usually found broken up, but not eaten by 
them ; traps are destroyed or entered, but not where the trapper 
desired ; and guns, except when concealed after the Eskimo 
fashion by a covering of snow, are avoided. 
In 1853, on the Arctic coast, when about to change our 
domicile from a tent to the warmer snow hut, my man had 
carried over about 100 lbs. or more of fine venison steaks to 
the snow houses about a quarter of a mile from our tents ; and 
as there were at the time no traces either of foxes, wolves, or 
wolverines about, the meat was placed overnight in one of the 
huts, and the door left open. During the night two wolverines 
came, but, evidently dreading some trap or danger in the open 
door, would not enter that way, but cut a hole for themselves 
through the wall of the snow hut, and carried off all our tine 
steaks, a considerable quantity of which was picked up close 
to our house when the thaw took place in the spring, it having 
been hid in the snow, but completely spoilt for use, by a well- 
known filthy habit. 
Dr. Rae has also drawn my attention to the following 
account contained in the Miscellaneous Publications of the 
Geological Survey of the United States . 1 The writer of 
this account is Captain Elliot Cones m 
To the trapper the wolverines are equally annoying. When 
they have discovered a line of marten traps they will never 
abandon the road, and must be killed before the trapping can 
be successfully carried on. Beginning at one end, they proceed 
from trap to trap along the whole line, pulling them succes- 
sively to pieces, and taking out the baits from behind. When 
they can eat no more, they continue to steal the baits and cache 
B Yol. viii., Washington, 1877 ; ‘A Monograph of the North Aneri- 
can MudelidwJ > 
