444 THE WORLD OF THE SEA. 
despair would have touched the hardest hearts. Without paying 
attention to her own wounds, or to the blood she was shedding, she 
only attended to her two little ones ; she called them with sorrowful 
cries, put before them her own share of food, and broke it up for 
them. As they remained motionless, her groans became still more 
melancholy. She tried to lift them up, and finding her efforts 
useless, she went away a few steps and renewed her calls; then 
returning to the two dead bodies, she licked the wounds, and - 
would not leave them until convinced that life was quite gone; 
then, with frightful howlings towards the vessel, she seemed to 
accuse the murderers, and they answered with another discharge 
from their guns. Fatally wounded, the poor mother came to die 
by her young ones, licking their wounds to the last. 
White bears easily become accustomed to our menageries. As 
they always suffer from heat, pails of cold water are continually 
thrown over their bodies, and a tank is always arranged in their 
den, in which they can constantly bathe. 
These animals are often seen panting like a dog in hot weather 
after running. They keep up with their head, neck, and the 
fore part of their bodies an incessant swaying, which attracts the 
attention at first by its singularity, but fatigues by its monotony. 
During captivity, the bear does not seem to be susceptible of 
instruction or attachment; he retains always a brutal and stupid 
ferocity. We find this species was known to the ancients. Cuvier 
considers that it was a white bear which Ptolemy Philadelphus 
sent for to Alexandria, and which is alluded to by Athenzus and 
Callixenus the Rhodian. 
