ANIMAL LIFE IN LABRADOR 439 



attacking man ; yet a large one will stand six to seven feet 

 high, on his hind legs, and weigh about 1200 pounds. 

 After having been carried south on the ice they are saga- 

 cious enough to find their way north again, even if they have 

 to take to the land to do so. Every year a ragged line of 

 straggling polar bears lands somewhere between St. John's 

 and Cape Chidley, and all immediately seem to start on 

 their long trip to the north. I have followed their trail 

 over barren land and thick woods to the edge of the 

 Straits of Belle Isle. The bear went straight north all the 

 while, swimming over to Labrador. It seems to us that 

 they must have some magnetic sense, as no one ever heard 

 of one going south by mistake. They will loiter on the 

 outer islands, eating the eggs of the numerous sea birds as 

 they travel. It would seem that they are conscious of 

 having one black spot, their nose. In approaching a seal 

 on the ice, they have been seen to hide it in the snow, and 

 in swimming after ducks they sink their whole body under 

 water, and leave only their black nose out, so as to toll 

 the birds nearer. 



I have myself seen a polar bear swimming at least three 

 miles out from land, in the open sea, and with no ice 

 about. He too was bound north. When shot he floated 

 fairly high in the water, so we judged he could remain 

 swimming as long as he liked. They are not fleet or agile 

 enough to escape from dogs, and many times the Komatik 

 dogs have run them down, and, on one occasion at least, 

 killed the bear without any assistance from man. In the 

 water they have been killed frequently by the fishermen, 

 with an axe, or even blows from an oar, or seal bat. They 

 do not swim fast, but they dive well. We lost one this 



