THE BEAR FAMILY— POLAR BEAR. 



259 



investigate and appropriate the provisions which 

 arctic explorers store away in some part of the ice- 

 bound solitudes for future use. Sand has been found 

 to be the best protection against their depredations, 

 the stores of provisions being covered with this 

 substance, and water poured on it until the whole is 

 surrounded by a sufficiently thick, frozen covering. 



but also coffee, sails and the American flag, the 

 only thing which they could not grapple being the 

 chests, which were made entirely of iron. A Polar 

 Bear, which was killed by McClure's men in one of 

 the expeditions sent out to rescue Sir John Franklin, 

 had his stomach stuffed with raisins, corned beef, 

 tobacco and court-plaster, a repast which he could 



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THE POLAR BEAR. Probably when the North Pole is finally reached by Man, he will find Polar Bears plentiful in the neighborhood. 



The body of this animal is very heavy and clumsy, but the neck and head are longer and more slender than most of the other Bears. The light 

 color of the fur is appropriate to the surroundings of its natural home. Here we see two of this tamily, which have taken possession of a boat 

 which some hapless explorers seem to have deserted in its frozen moorings. (Ursus maritimus.) 



Wooden houses are broken into by the Bears, piles 

 of stone, chests, barrels, etc., are thrown down or 

 broken to pieces, and then the animals proceed' to 

 devour every imaginable item of the contents, swal- 

 lowing whatever they possibly can. Kane says that 

 the plunderers not only ate his meat and biscuits, 



have only found in some devastated storehouse in 

 the high north. German explorers had their meas- 

 uring apparatus and climbing irons carried away by 

 Polar Bears; and when they were away on a sleigh- 

 ing trip, the animals devoured their sugar and their 

 candles, chewed up their rubber bottles and the 



