WHALING AND BEAR-HUNTING 279 



they may actually prevent this bird from seeking safety in 

 flight. This being so, we can the more readily understand 

 the necessity of the protective coloration for this succulent 

 bird. 



As an example of how very thick such a fog can be up here, 

 it is related by an explorer (an American, I believe) that the 

 men on watch on a certain occasion on his vessel were sitting 

 on the bulwarks smoking their pipes and were leaning against 

 the mist, when suddenly it rose and they all fell backwards 

 into the sea. 



What may seem unaccountable when you consider the 

 bear's protective coloration is that seals of various kinds in 

 the Arctic regions should have apparently no protective 

 colouring. Whilst lying on the ice beside their holes they 

 form quite conspicuous objects, even at a distance of a mile 

 on a clear day, and less if it is foggy or on a dark night. But 

 the reason for this apparent contradiction is not far to find ; 

 for, as we have already explained, owing to the colour of 

 the bear's coat being of a yellowish tint and occasional 

 pieces of ice being also of a yellowish tint, with a far-away 

 resemblance to the bear's coat, the seal takes the bear for a 

 lump of ice walking, so Nature here has stepped in and said 

 to the seal : " If you are such a silly fool as to mistake a bear 

 for a piece of yellow ice, why, have a dark brown coat and be 

 blowed to you," so everyone is pleased and so on. 



The bear, or supposed bear, of last night, interrupted a 

 quiet, misty evening we were spending alongside a small floe 

 of a quarter of a mile in diameter of hard, smooth, frosted ice. 

 Our men were occupied drawing fresh water from the blue 

 pools. Eastward lay mist, north and west a pale orange 

 band just showed beyond the violet-coloured floes and soft 

 grey sky, just the quiet effect for decoration of a silk fan. 



On the smooth floe we held various sports, tossing the 

 caber, for example, the caber being the remains of the pine- 

 tree we found on a floe as we came north. Also we had 

 fencing. As there was rather a pretty small blue iceberg 

 alongside, C. A. H. got his camera and photographed 

 the two champions. The too-strong she-cook went a walk 

 with Chee Chee ; a little trot, rather ; she must weigh about 



