174 NATURAL HISTORY. 



without risk. At last he fell exhausted, and the Bear being close upon him, I discharged both barrels. 

 The first broke the Bear's shoulder ; but this only made her more savage, and rising on her hind legs, 

 she advanced with ferocious growls, when the second barrel though I do not think it took effect 

 served to frighten her, for turning round she retreated, followed by her cubs. Some natives then 

 waded through the mud to the Moorman, who was just exhausted, and would have been drowned but 

 that he fell with his head upon a tuft of grass. The poor man was unable to speak, and for several 

 weeks his intellect seemed confused. The adventure sufficed to satisfy him that he could not again 

 depend upon a charm to protect him from Bears, though he always insisted that but for its having 

 fallen from his hair, where he had fastened it under his turban, the Bear would not have ventured to 

 attack him.' "* 



THE SPECTACLED BEAR.t 



One of the most comical and grotesque of all the Bear family is the Spectacled Bear, which 

 derives its chief attraction from the light-coloured rings round its eyes ; tnese the greater part of 

 the face being, like the body, black have exactly the appearance of a pair of common " goggles," 

 through which the beast seems to look with an air of mingled wisdom and imbecility. Hence, of 

 course, we get the animal's English popular name. 



The Spectacled Bear occurs only in South America, where it is found in the mountainous regions 

 of Chili. It attains a length of about three feet and a half. 



THE POLAR BEAR.t 



The great White Bear of the Arctic regions the " Nennok " of the Eskimo is the largest as well 

 as one of the best known of the whole family. It is a gigantic animal, often attaining a length of 

 nearly nine feet, and is proportionally strong and fierce. It is found over the whole of Greenland ; 

 but its numbers seem to be on the decrease. It is distinguished from other Bears by its narrow head, 

 its flat forehead in a line with the prolonged muzzle, its short ears, and long neck. "It is of a light 

 creamy colour, rarely pure white, except when young : hence the Scottish whalers call it the ' brounie, 

 or ' brownie,' and sometimes ' the farmer,' from its very agricultural appearance as it stalks leisurely 

 over the furrowed fields of ice. Its principal food consists of Seals, which it persecutes most inde- 

 fatigably; but it is somewhat omnivorous in its diet, and will often clear an islet of Eider-duck eggs in 

 the course of a few hours. I have seen it watch a Seal for half a day, the Seal continually escaping, 

 just as the Bear was about putting its foot on it, at the atluk (or escape hole) in the ice. Finally, 

 it tried to circumvent its prey in another manner. It swam off to a distance, and when the 

 Seal was again half asleep at its atluk, the Bear swam under the ice, with a view to cut off 

 its retreat. It failed, however, and the Seal finally escaped. The rage of the animal was boundless ; 

 it roared hideously, tossing the snow in the air, and trotted off in a most indignant state of mind." 



Being so fond of Seal-flesh, the Polar Bear often proves a great nuisance to Seal-hunters, 

 whose occupation he naturally regards as a thoughtful catering for his wants. He is also glad 

 of the Whale carcases often found floating in the Arctic seas ; and travellers have seen as many as 

 twenty Bears busily discussing the huge body of a dead Whalebone Whale. 



As the Polar Bear is able to obtain food all through the Arctic winter, there is not the 

 same necessity, as in the case of the vegetable-eating Bears, for hibernating. In fact, the males 

 and young females roam about through the whole winter, and only the pregnant females retire 

 for the season. These according to the Eskimo account, quoted by Captain Lyon are very 

 fat at the commencement of winter, and on the first fall of snow they lie down and allow themselves 

 to be covered, or else dig a cave in a drift, and then go to sleep until the spring, when the cubs 

 are born. By this time the animal's heat has melted the snow for a considerable distance, so 

 that there is plenty of room for the young ones, who tumble about at their ease, and get fat 

 at the expense of their parent, who, after her long abstinence, becomes gradually very thin and 

 weak. The whole family leave their abode of snow when the sun is strong enough to partially 



* Tennent : "Ceylon. t Vrsus (or Hdarctos) ornatus. J Ursui (or Thalassarctos) maritimus- 



% R. Brown, quoted from "Arctic Manual." 



