4 io THE POLAR BEAR. 



has already been mentioned, the Bears are good swimmers, and are able to cross chan- 

 nels of considerable width, but we have, in the person of the Nennook, an animal that is 

 especially formed for traversing the waters and for passing its existence among the 

 ice-mountains of the northern regions. 



Probably in consequence of the extreme cold which prevails in the high latitudes 

 where this creature is found, its food is almost entirely of an animal nature, and consists 

 of seals and fish of various kinds. In order to capture the fish in their own element, or 

 to make prey of the active and wary seals, it is necessary that the Nennook should be 

 endowed with no ordinary powers of body and sense. Its capabilities of scent are ex- 

 traordinarily fine, for it will perceive, by the exercise of that sense alone, the little breath- 

 ing-holes which the seals have made through the ice, even though the icy plain and 

 the breathing-holes are covered with a uniform coating of snow. Even the Esquimaux 

 dog, which is specially trained for this very purpose, is sometimes baffled by the ex- 

 treme difficulty of discovering so small an aperture under such difficult circumstances. 



So active is this Bear, and so admirable are its powers of aquatic locomotion, that 

 it has been seen to plunge into the water in chase of a salmon, and to return to the sur- 

 face with the captured fish in its mouth. And when it is engaged in the pursuit of 

 seals, as they are lying sleeping on a rock or on an ice-raft, it is said to employ a very 

 ingenious mode of approach. Marking the position in which its intended prey lies, it 

 quietly slips into the water, and diving below the surface, swims in the intended direc- 

 tion, until it is forced to return to the surface in order to breathe. As soon as it has 

 filled its lungs with fresh air, it again submerges itself, and resumes its course, timing 

 its submarine journeys so well, that when it ascends to the surface for the last time it is 

 in close proximity to the slumbering seal. The fate of the unfortunate victim is now 

 settled, for it cannot take refuge in the water without falling into the clutches of its 

 pursuer, and if it endeavors to escape by land it is speedily overtaken and destroyed 

 by the swifter-footed Bear. 



The endurance of the Bear while engaged in swimming is very great, for it has been 

 seen swimming steadily across a strait of some forty miles in width. Even the large 

 and powerful walrus is said to fall a victim to the superior prowess of the Polar Bear. 

 Although its appetite is of so decidedly carnivorous a nature in the northern regions, 

 it assumes a milder character in southern climes and contents itself with vegetable 

 aliment. In England, it has been fed for a considerable time on bread alone, of which 

 it consumes about six pounds per diem, and its fondness for cakes and buns is well 

 known to every frequenter of the Zoological Gardens. Even in its wild state, it is in 

 the habit of varying its food by sundry roots and berries, and is often found engaged 

 in searching for these dainties at some distance from the sea-shore. 



So powerful an animal as the Polar Bear must necessarily be very dangerous when 

 considered in the light of a foe, and as it is rather tetchy and very uncertain in its 

 temper, it often affords ample scope by which its pursuers may test their prowess. 

 Sometimes it runs away as soon as it sees or smells a human being, but at others 

 it is extremely malicious, and will attack a man without any apparent reason. As 

 is the case with nearly all the Bears, it is very tenacious of life, and even when 

 pierced with many wounds will fight in the most desperate manner, employing both 

 teeth and claws in the combat, and only yielding the struggle with its life. 



The color of the Nennook's fur is a silvery white, tinged with a slight yellow hue, 

 rather variable in different individuals. Even in the specimens that were confined in 

 the Zoological Gardens there was a perceptible difference in the tint of their fur, the 

 coat of one of them being of a purer white than that of the other. The yellowish tinge 

 which has been just mentioned is very similar to the creamy-yellow hue which edges 

 the Ermine's fur. The feet are armed with strong claws of no very great length, and 

 but slightly curved. Their color is black, so that they form a very bold contrast with 

 the white fur that falls over the feet. Even at a considerable distance, and by means 

 of its mere outline, the Polar Bear may be distinguished from every other member of 

 the Bear tribe by its peculiar shape. The neck is, although extremely powerful, very 

 long in proportion to the remainder of the body, and the head is so small and sharp 

 that there is a very snake-like aspect about that portion of the animal's person. 



