The Natural History of the Polar Bear. 



August 1894 to August 1897. 

 ,r 1 ^l^ ^ Sex not 



267 



Thus there were more than twice as many males as 

 females shot. To my mind this suggests, not that there are 

 really fewer females, but that the female is more wary, and 

 remains more about one locality near land. This is 

 especially so when she has cubs. Adult males are, as a rule, 

 larger than adult females, though they vary much in size, 

 being 7 feet 4 inches to 8 feet IJ inch from the tip of their 

 nose to the tip of their 6 -inch tail. Females average 6 feet 6 

 inches. The average weight of a male bear is 820 lbs. Only 

 one female was weighed ; she was 303 lbs. This was after 

 parturition and " hibernation " ; she also seemed septicaemic. 



With cow-like curiosity, rather than fierceness, the polar 

 bear walks around in a desultory manner, examining and 

 sniffing at everything, and for this same reason will approach 

 man, only occasionally attacking, — witness, for instance, the 

 attack upon Lieutenant Johansen (Hansen's companion), 

 also upon Dr (now Professor) Ealph Copeland and Borgen 

 of the Second German Expedition. When wounded or 

 cornered, they have been known to turn and attack like a 

 rat. They are easily scared by dogs or by a slight wound, 

 such, as I have known, from a revolver, in which case they 

 turn tail, almost invariably turning in their old tracks. 

 They often defoecate when running away, especially if 



