MAMMALIA — BEAR. 



109 



a good omen ; if not, they consider that the spirit of the beast is not appeas- 

 ed, and that the chase of the next year will be unfortunate." 



In the Tower Menagerie of London, there is a very tame and playful 

 American bear, which was presented to it in 1824. He was originally in 

 the same den with the hyaena, and, except at feeding times, was on good 

 terms with his companion. A piece of meat, however, would occasionally 

 produce a temporary dissension between them ; in which the hyaena, though 

 the smallest of the two, had usually the upper hand. On such occasions, 

 the defeated bear would moan most piteously, in a tone somewhat like a 

 sheep bleating, while the hyaena devoured the remainder of his dinner.* 



THE WHITE, OR POLAR BEAR. 1 



The polar bear is distinguished by his tremendous ferocity. It some- 

 times reaches the length of twelve feet. Its head and neck are more 



* When our forefathers first settled in America, bears were common in all parts of the 

 country along the Atlantic. Many adventures with them took place, some of which are 

 recorded in the histories of the times. The following is said to have occurred at a later 

 period : 



Some years since, when the western part of New-York was in a state of nature, and 

 wolves and bears were not afraid of being seen, some enterprising pilgrim had erected 

 and put in operation a saw-mill, on the banks of the Genesee. One day as he was sitting 

 on the log, eating his bread and cheese, a large black bear came from the woods towards 

 the mill. The man, leaving his luncheon on the log, made a spring, and seated himself 

 on a beam above ; when the bear, mounting the log, sat down with his rump towards the 

 saw, which was in operation, and commenced his appetite on the man's dinner. After a 

 little while, the saw approached near enough to interfere with the feathers on Bruin's 

 back, and he hitched along a little and kept on eating. Again the saw came up, and 

 scratched a little flesh. The bear then whirled about, and throwing his paws around the 

 saw, held on till he was mangled through and through, when he roll' d off, fell through 

 into the flood, and bled to death. 



 Ursus maritimus, Lin. 



