154 TEUE BEAR STORIES. 



tumble about at their ease and get fat at 

 the expense of their parent, who, after her 

 long abstinence, becomes gradually very 

 thin and weak. The whole family leave 

 their abode of snow when the sun is strong 

 enough to partially melt its roof. 



"The Polar bear is regularly hunted with 

 dogs by the Eskimo. The following ex- 

 tract gives an account of their mode of pro- 

 cedure: 



"Let us suppose a bear scented out at 

 the base of an iceberg. The Eskimo ex- 

 amines the track with sagacious care, to 

 determine its age and direction, and the 

 speed with which the animal was moving 

 when he passed along. The dogs are set 

 upon the trail, and the hunter courses over 

 the ice in silence. As he turns the angle 

 of the berg his game is in view before him, 

 stalking along, probably, with quiet march, 

 sometimes snuffing the air suspiciously, 

 but making, nevertheless, for a nest of 

 broken hummocks. The dogs spring for- 

 ward, opening a wild, wolfish yell, the 



