152 TEUE BEAR STORIES. 



'brounie' and sometimes the 'farmer,' from 

 its very agricultural appearance as it stalks 

 leisurely over the furrowed fields of ice. Its 

 principal food consists of seals, which it 

 persecutes 'most indefatigably; but it is 

 somewhat omniverous in its diet, and will 

 often clear an islet of eider duck eggs in 

 the course of a few hours. I once saw it 

 watch a seal for half a day, the seal con- 

 tinually escaping, just as the bear was 

 about putting his foot on it, at the atluk 

 (or escape hole) in the ice. Finally, it tried 

 to circumvent its prey in another maneu- 

 ver. It swam off to a distance, and when 

 the seal was again half asleep at its atluk, 

 the bear swam under the ice, with a view 

 to cut off its retreat. It failed, however, 

 and the seal finally escaped. The ra.ge of 

 the animal was boundless; it moaned hide- 

 ously, tossing the snow in the air, and at 

 last trotted off in a most indignant state 

 of mind. 



"Being so fond of seal-flesh, the Polar 

 bear often proves a great nuisance to seal- 



