APPENDIX. 93 



Upon this another difficulty arose, for the polar bear, who had walked 

 over from the Terra Nuova annexe, gruffly put forward a claim on his 

 own behalf. " This Exhibition," said he, " is not only for fishes but 

 for fishers as well ; and though I should never think of asking any 

 one to call me a fish, I am entitled to be called a fisherman." The 

 outrageous bad taste of this aroused the indignation of the whole 

 assembly, and calls for Captain Gossett resounded through the dim 

 aisles. But the bear persisted that he had a right to take his place in 

 any Fisheries Exhibition that might be held, and that the rights of his 

 constituents deserved as much respect as those of any other com- 

 munity represented in the House. But the fish would not hear of it, 

 and after what is called "a disgraceful scene," the sea-lions were 

 deputed to chuck-out the polar bear — which they did, 



I followed the party out of the building, and when I had seen the 

 polar bear — still grumbling immensely and threatening public demon- 

 strations when he got back to Greenland — balanced in his old place 

 on the top of his pyramid in the Terra Nuova annexe, and the sea- 

 lions on guard all round him, I turned back. But whether I missed 

 my road, or whether the fish had had the doors shut, I could not find 

 my way back into the convention. So I went home. 



Phil Robinson. 



