110 . ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
The period of their hybernation corresponds with the 
setting in of the frost. . In the more northern latitudes 
they dig themselves holes in the ice or in the snow, 
where they remain until the return of spring. But in 
situations where the cold is less intense the males 
usually migrate towards the south, in search of food ; 
and frequently, if this is readily procured, roam at large 
during the entire winter. The pregnant females, how- 
ever, always conceal themselves; and this affords a 
satisfactory solution of the remarkable fact that, to use 
the expression of Brickell, “no man, either Christian 
or Indian, ever killed a She-Bear with young.” So true 
is this, as a general observation, that Dr. Richardson 
assures us that, “ after numerous inquiries among the 
Indians of Hudson’s Bay, only one was found who 
had killed a pregnant Bear.” In the more southern 
districts they usually prefer the trunks of hollow trees 
for their winter habitations, which they not unfrequently 
construct at the height of thirty or forty feet from the 
ground. 
The flesh of Bears which have fed much upon fish 
is regarded as tainted and unfit for use ; otherwise they 
are reckoned very good eating. Their tongues and 
paws are considered the most delicate parts; and the 
hams made from them are said to be not inferior to 
those of Westphalia. Their fat is also in great request, 
especially among the Esquimaux and the Canadian 
Voyageurs, who devour it in large quantities. The fur 
is less sought after than formerly as an article of 
commerce; but is still used very extensively by the 
inhabitants of the more northern regions, for whom it 
forms the most essential article of clothing during the 
severity of an arctic winter. 
