NORTHERN OCEAN. 
have eaten of their flefh in the neighbourhood 
of York Fort. ‘The flefh is white, and nearly as 
good as that of arabbit. They are I think, much 
larger than that which is defcribed in the Arétic 
Zoology ; they never approach near the fettle- 
_ ments in Hudfon’s Bay, and are very deftructive 
to rabbits; they feldom leave a place which is 
frequented by rabbits till they have nearly killed 
them all. 
on the fea-coaft, is feldom found in its Winter 
retreats by any of our Northern Indians, except 
near Churchill River; nor do I fuppofe that the 
Efquimaux fee or kill any of them more fre- 
quently during that feafon; for in the courfe of 
many years refidence at Churchill River, I {carce- 
ly ever faw a Winter fkin brought from the 
Northward by the floop. Probably the Efqi- 
maux, if they kill any, may referve the fkins for 
their own ufe; for at that feafon their hair is 
very long, with a thick bed of wool at the bot- 
tom, and they are remarkably clean and white. 
The Winter is the only feafon that fo oily a fkin 
as the Bear’s can poflibly be cleaned and drefied 
by thofe people, without greafing the hair, which 
is very unpleafant to them; for though they eat 
| train-oil, &c. yet they are as careful as poflible 
to keep their clothes from being greafed with it. 
_ To drefs one of thofe greafy {kins in Winter, as 
_ foon as taken from the beaft, it is ftretched out 
on a fmooth patch of fnow, and there ftaked 
| down, 
The Potar or Wuire Bear, though common +, p 
¥ 
olar 
or White 
Bear, 
