142 WILD BEASTS OF THE WORLD 



sufficient scope for them among the rocks and icebergs of its native 

 home, for it is certainly very sure-footed. Its food is chiefly animal, 

 and consists of whatever it can find or catch ; one day it may have 

 a bountiful feast off the carcase of a stranded Whale, on another it 

 will make a lighter repast off the eggs or young of the numerous 

 Arctic seafowl. 



The various Seals, however, are its most especial prey, and it displays 

 great cunning in stalking them at the breathing-holes they make in the 

 ice in winter. It is said, at such times, when making its stealthy 

 approaches, to cover its black nose with its paws, lest this little spot of 

 colour should betray it to its victim, and, from what I shall have to 

 relate further on of its intelligence in captivity, the story does not seem 

 impossible. In spite of the carnivorous habit it usually displays, however, 

 it has the usual liking of its family for vegetable food, and feeds on the 

 scanty Arctic herbage when summer makes this available. When, also, 

 it comes across and breaks into a cache made by European visitants 

 to the Arctic regions, almost everything is sampled, down to coffee and 

 canvas. Indeed, from its great strength, it is a serious nuisance in this 

 way, and stores need to be well secured from its powerful paws. Nowa- 

 days it seems not to make attacks on man himself, but the earlier 

 explorers found it a serious foe, which approached them fearlessly and 

 ferociously, and several cases of man-eating are put on record in the 

 relations of the old voyagers. 



Polar Bears usually prowl about singly, but several may at times be 

 seen in company ; the female is long accompanied by her two cubs, for 

 which she shows a most touching affection, carefully providing them with 

 food, and readily dying in their defence. They are born in the winter 

 time, the female making her lair under a rock and letting herself be 

 snowed in. Here she remains till spring almost in a state of hibernation, 

 but continuously suckling her cubs, which are born very small, only about 

 the size of Rabbits. Males also hibernate if they are fat enough in 

 autumn, but otherwise they prowl about all the winter. 



So powerful a creature as the Polar Bear has naturally few enemies. 

 It may, however, now and then get the worst of it in an attack on the 

 Walrus, or have the misfortune to be drifted out to sea on the ice. 

 In this way individuals may be stranded as far off as Iceland, but no 

 doubt they often perish at sea, in spite of their swimming powers. Man, 



