236 ORDER T. 



depression on the plane of the nose between the 

 eyes, gave the head what appeared to us a complete 

 resemblance to that character in fossil skulls of 

 bears, found at Geulerireuth. This animal, it will 

 be observed, was equal in size to the largest Grizzly 

 and Polar Bears, and was sent alive, a present from 

 the King of Denmark to the last Elector of Saxony. 

 It came from Norway. 



The Brown Bear assumes an erect posture with 

 facility, walks on the hind feet, and sits on his 

 hams : the same attitude is assumed when the ani- 

 mal is at bay ; and it will then suffocate dogs or 

 men that can be clawed within its arms. There are, 

 however, peasants in the north, who will venture 

 single handed to encounter a bear : for this purpose 

 they are armed with a rather long, broad, and very 

 sharp pointed knife, with the blade of great thick- 

 ness at the back, and the edge very keen, and they 

 wind round the left arm several folds of bear skin 

 fur : thus prepared, they watch the moment of en- 

 counter, when the bear rears up, to make two or 

 three quick and repeated stabs, keeping the enemy 

 off as much as possible, in order to guard chiefly 

 against one of his hind feet, which, it is asserted, 

 the animal lifts, if he can grapple with his fore paws, 

 and tears his victim down at one effort. The com- 

 mon practice now is, to shoot them with rifles ; but 

 formerly, in Germany and Poland, a bear hunt was 

 reckoned among the most princely of sports. Hun- 

 ters on horseback, armed with spears, others on foot, 

 with similar weapons, packs of hounds, sustained 



