SUMMER SPORT IN NOVA ZEMLA. 69 



self with snaw yes, that he did and went away 

 geroulin', an' lookin' back." All the same, other 

 travellers speak of this habit of polar bears rubbing 

 themselves with snow when hurt. Another funny 

 and perhaps equally useful habit of the bear, is that 

 of swallowing large stones, for these may assist his 

 digestion ! but we cannot see what nourishment the 

 bear which robbed a depot erected by one of the 

 Franklin search expeditions could have derived from 

 the whole stock of sticking-plaster which was found 

 in his stomach. Modern sporting narratives always 

 seem to me to lack the vigour and freshness of the 

 productions of the eailier writers ; and as we are on 

 the subject of Nova, Zemla bears, I cannot resist 

 quoting, for the benefit of those of ' Maga's ' readers 

 who have not had the felicity of perusing " Purchas 

 his Pilgrimes," an account of a thrilling bear adven- 

 ture which occurred on the north island of Nova 

 Zemla three hundred years ago, during the second 

 voyage of William Barents. 



" The. 6th of September some of our men went on 

 shore upon the firme land to seek for stones, which 

 are a kind of diamond, whereof there are many also 

 in the States Island ; and while they were seeking 

 the stones, two of our men lying together in one 

 place, a great leane white beare came suddenly steal- 

 ing out, and caught one of them fast by the necke ; 

 who, not knowing what it was that tooke him by the 

 necke, cryed out and sayed, ' "Who is it that pulls me 



