102 ARCTIC ZOOLOGY. 



is always erect, so as to give the animal in appearance a 

 much larger size than natural ; and the feet are small and 

 neat. It is said to be little accustomed to bark, even in the 

 chase. In times of scarcity, this faithful creature serves for 

 food to his master, and its skin, from its long warm fur, 

 affords comfortable clothing. It is chiefly made into caps, 

 to be trafficked with the whale hunters every summer. The 

 colour is variable, mostly black or grey. 



Canis Lagopus (the arctic fox). — This animal differs 

 considerably from the common fox, and scarcely deserves 

 that name. It is very variable in its colour at different 

 seasons, being in winter found generall}'^ white, and in 

 summer it exhibits a bluish tinge. The tail is straight and 

 bushy, and the feet very much covered with hair ; it is from 

 the latter circumstance the animal takes its specific distinc- 

 tion. It is seen rarely in high situations, being chieflj' near 

 the shores, where it preys upon the ptarmigan, ducks, and 

 smaller birds, and sometimes even on berries and shell-fish. 

 It barks like a fox, but has not the disagreeable fetor of 

 that animal. It assimilates also to the latter in being observed 

 to burrow where the earth is favourable to such an operation. 

 It is rarely met with in Greenland, on account of its being 

 constantly hunted for the sake of its very valuable fur. For 

 a figure of this animal, see Plate VIII. 



Ursus Maiitimns (the polar bear), called also the white 

 bear, and Greenland bear, from the situation in which it is 



