BEAR CUBS 89 



After the death of its mother, the cub will 

 sometimes try to escape ; occasionally it will 

 remain by the body as though to defend it. 



The first cub I captured was off the ice- 

 field of Greenland in July 1905. 



We were at dinner when the look-out man 

 voiced the well-known and welcome cry of 

 'Bjorn! ' (bear). 



Commander de Gerlache and myself hastened 

 on to the bridge and were surprised to see, not 

 five hundred yards away, a white female bear, fol- 

 lowed by a cub, coming peacefully towards us 

 over the great Polar ice-field. Landing several 

 men, I disposed them in order that we might 

 welcome these strangers with due ceremony. 

 They came quite close to us, the mother leading, 

 the cub following. 



Lieutenant Bergendhal, who had on former 

 occasions captured several cubs, informed us 

 that it would be necessary to drive it into the 

 sea, because, if the mother bear were killed on 

 the ice, the cub would seek safety in flight, 

 while, if it were shot in the water, the cub would 

 remain swimming around the body, when it 

 could be easily captured. 



Whilst I was attentively examining the two 

 bears, Jonas unexpectedly became excited, just 

 as he had been on the occasion of our fiist 



