THE POLAR BEAR* 36^ 



Of all quadrupeds, the Polar Bear Is one that has 

 the greatest dread of heat. One of them described 

 by Professor Pallas, would not stay in its house in 

 the winter; although at Krasnojarsk in Siberia, where 

 the climate is very cold. It seemed to experience 

 great pleasure in rolling itself on the snow. — A Po- 

 lar Bear that was kept in the Museum of Natural 

 History, in Paris, suffered very greatly during the 

 hot weather. The keepers, throughout the year, 

 were obliged to throw upon it sixty or seventy pails 

 of water a-day, to refresh it. This animal was fed 

 only with bread, of which it daily consumed no 

 more than about six pounds, notwithstanding which 

 it became very fat. — It is not known to what age 

 these animals live. One specimen has been in the 

 Museum seven years, and it was fuU-grov/n when 

 first brought. It is now blind, and appears to have 

 many other infirmities *. 



White Bears are sometimes found in Iceland ; but 

 not being natives of the island, they are supposed 

 to have floated from the opposite coast of Green- 

 land, on some of the huge masses of ice that are 

 detached from those shores. x\fter so long an abs- 

 tinence as they must necessarily have undergone in 

 the voyage, they are reduced by hunger to attack 

 even Man, if he should come in their w^ay. But 

 Mr. Horrebow^ informs us, that the natives are al- 

 ways able to escape their fury, if they can throw in 

 their vvay something to amuse them. '^ A glove (he 

 says) is very proper for this purpose ; for the Bear 



* La Menagerie du Museum National d'Hiitoiie >'aturelle. 



Vol. I. Bb 



