230 BIO GAME OF NORTH AMERICA. 



Though my hunting was not confined to the Polar Bear, 

 I learned much of the habits of that unfamiliar creature, 

 and of his trickery, from coming into frequent contact with 

 him. He makes his home among the ice-fields of the North, 

 and is a restless animal; like the Gypsy, he lays down to 

 rest unprotected from the howling blasts of winter, his bed 

 being the solid ice and his shaggy coat his only shelter. 

 About four hours each day is the longest time he allows 

 himself for rest from his patient and persevering search for 

 food, for his cavernous maw and his voracious appetite tax 

 his skill and time to keep them supplied with fish and flesh. 



In his hunt for game, the night as well as day is favor- 

 able to him, the reflection from the ice, at night, being suffi- 

 cient light to enable him to sight and steal u^Don his prey. 

 The Seal is the chief source of food for the Polar Bear, 

 though he also preys on the Walrus and on various fishes. 



On one occasion, I was ordered to Alexandria Harbor, in 

 company with two Eskimos, to investigate the chances of 

 procuring game there. We had been infoimed by the 

 natives that this locality abounded in game, and being 

 short of rations, it was deemed expedient to send a party 

 there to replenish our meat supply. On March 15th, while 

 at the Harbor, I started alone in search of a Bear. Having 

 seen Bear-tracks the day before, I was unable to sleep 

 during the night, my mind being occupied with brilliant 

 schemes for a Bear-hunt in the morning, and 1 was 

 extremely anxious to succeed in allaying the hunger of my 

 comrades. However, success seemed not to attend my 

 efforts. I tramped the entire day through snow and over 

 ice, endeavoring to find the trail of the Bear and to figure 

 out the course he had taken. I found his tracks occasion- 

 ally, but they were filled with snow, and at times entirely 

 obliterated, so that it was impossible to follow them. 

 Night coming on, and being discouraged at my fruitless 

 attempt to secure the object of my dreams, I started to 

 retrace my steps toward our temporary camp. On my 

 retreat, I had to travel nearly half a mile out of my course, 

 to avoid a large ice-floe, which had lodged there the previ- 



