BEARS. 43 



In its own country, during the winter, it lives chiefly on 

 seal's flesh, but in the summer eats berries, sea-weed, 

 and marsh plants. It is one of the most formidable 

 of the race, and may be seen climbing mountains of 

 ice, and swimming from floe to floe with the greatest 

 rapidity. Captain Lyon tells us, that when a seal lies 

 just ashore, the bear gets quietly into the water and 

 swims away from him to leeward ; he then takes short 

 dives, and manages so that the last dive shall bring him 

 back close to the seal, which tries to escape by rolling 

 into the water, when he falls into the bear's paws; and 

 if he should lie still, the bear springs upon and devours 

 him. Its favourite food, however, is the floating carcases 

 of whales. The gait of all bears is a sort of shuffle; 

 but this one goes at such a rate, that its pace is equal 

 to a horse's gallop. It is remarkably sagacious, and 

 often defeats the stratagems practised for its capture 

 A female with two cubs was pursued across a field oi 

 ice by a party of sailors : at first she urged the young 

 ones to increase their speed, by running in front of them, 

 turning round, and evincing, by gesture and voice, 

 great anxiety for their progress; but finding that their 

 pursuers gained upon them, she alternately carried, 

 pushed, or pitched them forwards until she effected 

 their escape. The cubs seemed to arrange themselves 

 for the throw, and when thus sent forwards some yards 

 in advance, ran on till she again came up to them, when 

 they alternately placed themselves before her. 



A she-bear and two large cubs, being attracted by 

 the scent of some blubber proceeding from a sea-horse 

 which had been set on fire and was burning on the ice, 

 ran eagerly towards it, dragged some pieces out of the 

 flames, and ate them with great voracity. The sailors 



