GENERAL NOTES 
183 
m’ce to moose. Mr. Charles Sheldon has seen the tracks of wolverines in winter 
on the crests of the mountains in Alaska, apparently following sheep tracks and 
sheep trails, and this suggests that they may kill sheep. But we know nothing 
about the matter. 
We have some evidence that the wolverine has plenty of courage and that it 
does attack the largest animals. A dozen years ago there was printed an account,, 
by Mr, J. Keele,^ of a case where a wolverine had attacked a moose. Mr. Keele 
and his companion came upon a moose in a hole in the deep snow, killed it, and 
found that the animal had been injured by a wolverine which appeared to have 
climbed trees and to have dropped on the animaPs back. Hair had been torn 
from the moose in many places and on its back there was “a large hole appar- 
ently freshly gnawed into the animal’ s backbone, the spinal cord being almost 
laid bare.” Mr. Keele gave many details of the evidence that he saw of the 
actions of the moose and of the wolverine during this contest, which may have- 
lasted for two or three days. 
Martin Hunter, an old Hudson’s Bay man who was in the service of that com- 
pany from 1863 to 1903, during which years he traveled over much of the eastern 
half of North America, contributed during a number of years to certain outdoor 
periodicals many brief sketches of life in the open, and in one of them gives an 
account which closely matehes the old story derided as fable, for he tells of seeing 
a wolverine kill a caribou to the back of which it was clinging. This is the 
account : 
“A few moments after, we saw a large caribou break cover about one 
hundred yards to the right and spring into the lake; but what was that black 
object clinging to his neck? Surely some animal! 
“The caribou struck out as fast as it could swim, heading for the further 
shore, and we jumped into our canoe and gave pursuit. The keen eyes of the 
animal on the caribou’s neck having detected us, it relinquished its hold, dropped 
off into the water, and turned for the shore the caribou had left. 
“The canoe was immediately headed to cut off his retreat and when within 
proper distance, I shot it vdth one barrel, and left it there dead on the surface 
of the lake, while we continued on our chase. 
“This diversion had taken our attention from the caribou, but now, when we 
had resumed the chase, we found the animal was getting through the water very 
slowly, and as we were paddling in its w’^ake, we perceived the water at each 
side of the caribou was bloody. By the time we reached the caribou it was dead. 
“On examination, we found the jugular vein had been cut by the fierce ani- 
mal on its back and it had bled to death, fleeing with what strength it had, to the 
' last drop of the poor thing’s blood. 
“We threw a string over its horns and towed it back to the portage, picking 
up in passing our floating black animal, which proved to be a very large wolverine, 
carcajo, or Indian devil, the beast going under all of these names with hunters 
and traders.” — Canadian Indian Wilds, p. 150, Columbus, 1907. 
I have seen the wolverine alive in the wilds on but few occasions and know 
nothing as to its tree-climbing powers. Mr. Keele distinctly says he saw marks 
where it had climbed a tree. Mr. Sheldon has seen it run up a tree, when 
1 Forest and Stream, Vol. LXXI, p. 971. 
