The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1891-12-12
THE WOLVERINE,
A Eetoclcua Animal 1hat Lives Only In
the North Woods of Michigan.

A FetnclouA Animal 1tat Lives Oniy Ia
the North wooda ot Michigan.
michigan is called the Wolverine state,
but don't believe there are two dozen per
sous outside OF that state that know what
wolverine is,n said native OF tue Green bay
region. "For that matter the people IN
Michigan itself who eau tell you what vol
VERNE is are mighty scarce Why this ani'
NAL should be particularly a resident OF tho
Michigan wilderness do not know; but
never heard of it being seen or heard OF else
where. The wolf is a con',:,uu animal all
over the west, OF L, feast it was before civil
ixation limited its habitat, and the black
bear is also found everywhere IN greater or
less numbers. Then why should the wolver-
Inc only have made its appearance In Mtchl'
gan, where il was in the pioneer days m
plenty almost as the wolf, and even now is a
dreaded freduenter ot the woods of the
northern part OF the statel The wolverine Is
an animal that has some " characteristics OF
the wolf, and partakes in other ways OF the
nature Of the bear. The old settlers OF Michi'
gan always insisted that the animal was a
cross between those two beasts and that is
the opinion Of north Michigan woodsmeu to-
day. When Michigan was admitted into the
Union the wolverine was still common, IN
fact infested all the forests of the state, and
the state was named after him, owing TO
some OF the characteristics of the animal adj
mired by the hardy pioneers who hewed a
commonwealth ont Of the great wilderness
they found about their inland sea-
at is a singular fact that no museum or
geological garden has ever yet had speci-
men Of this unique member of the animal
kingdom | say it is singular, aud do not
know that it is either, for the reason that
they have never exhibited the wolverine is
the great difficulty, not 10 say impoSsihillty,
OF capturing it alive, or of keepiug it alive
after it is captured. They are the most saw
age Of beasts. They have the ugly temper OF
the wolf, which they resemble in appearance,
but in size and sayageneSS they resemble the
bear Of the western faStneSseS But while
having the size and savagenesS OF the bear,
they excel him IN aggressiveness aud ferocity
They do not have his clumsineSs. Their wolf
ish appearance makes the fact that they are
expert and agile tree climbers seem odd. In
lying in wait for their prey they also resem-
bic the panther for they Will crouch closely
in the branches or forks OF a tree and drop
down upon their victim like one of those great
members OF the cat family.
They will attack a man in this way as
readily as they would fawn, aud many an
unwnry hunter in the Michigan woods has
fallen victim 10 some hungry and undIs'
eliminating wolverine The claws Of this
strange animal are much longer and sharper
than the bears and their teeth bigger and
more pointed and curved. Their warinesS IS
said by hunters 20 exceed that of any animal
on the continent, and they are seldom hunted
for the sport Of the thing, the danger being
too great 1t is only when wolverine has
made his presence so destructive to the pas
lures and sheeptolds Of the backwoods far
mers that the entire loss of their stock Is
feared that the farmers organize for raid
on the wolverines, usually employing num-
ber of expert and daring woodsmen to direct
the hunt. | can't see for myself what the
pioneers of Michigan saw in this animal to
perpetuate its memory by nicsnaming their
state after it, but the name is there, and
Michigan will remain the Wolverine state
long after the wolverine is extinct. New
Work SIM