REASONS FOR. 259 



on to say, " should evade their assailants in the manner 

 mentioned, is not more remarkable than other peculiarities 

 observable with those animals ; and to look at the matter in 

 this point of view, it contains no impossibility. We have 

 besides, pretty certain evidence that several other beasts are 

 endowed with the same instinct. Of the fox, we know, 

 that after being mortally wounded, or about to die from 

 other causes, he always attempts to crawl to his den, or to 

 the water, there to terminate his existence. It is also confi- 

 dently asserted, that the otter when wounded in the water, 

 immediately dives to the bottom, and never comes up again ; 

 whereas, on the contrary, when killed outright, he, at least 

 for a short time, floats upon the surface. And the like is 

 the case with some of the duck tribe, especially the Mergus 

 Merganser, for so soon as that bird is deadly wounded, it 

 fastens itself to the grass at the bottom. Speaking gene- 

 rally, it is therefore only reasonable to infer that it lies in 

 the nature of all wild animals, when about to expire 

 whether from violence, or in the common course of nature 

 to seek, as far as may be, the most retired place, thereby 

 to prevent their bodies from being afterwards discovered ; 

 were the case otherwise, they would be met with more 

 frequently than they are which, in fact, happens very 

 rarely. How often, for instance, has the house-sparrow, 

 that has died from natural causes, been found? Seldom 

 or never !" 



That a bear when wounded will frequently, as stated by 

 M. Vergeland, take to the water, and that no track leading 

 therefrom can at times be found, is perfectly true; but 

 do people properly examine the opposite shore? This is 

 very much to be doubted. On one occasion I was myself 



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