ORDER CARNASSIER. 236 



bable that he had much acuteness or discrimination of 

 taste. It would seem that these observations are tolerably 

 applicable to the entire species, and that, with the excep- 

 tion of smell, all the other senses of the Polar Bears are 

 somewhat obtuse. 



This animal seemed to suffer extremely from heat, and 

 for the purpose of cooling him, his keepers, in summer, 

 would throw large quantities of water upon his body, 

 which he appeared to receive with an extraordinary degree 

 of pleasure. He was never tamed, and always would endea- 

 vour to hurt those who approached him. s He did not attack 

 openly, or with menaces, but endeavoured to wound with 

 his paw and claws. His voice was never heard, except 

 when he was provoked to anger, by teasing, and then it was 

 strong and hoarse, and always of the same tone. The only 

 influence which the winter season possessed over him, was 

 to diminish the need of aliment. It did not plunge him 

 into the torpid lethargy into which he would have fallen 

 under the rigours of a polar winter. 



The gait of the Polar Bears is heavy, like that of all plan- 

 tigrades, but they swim well, and dive for a considerable 

 time. In the water, they can be fatigued by a long chase. 

 Their ordinary aliment is fish, the flesh of the seal, and all the 

 animal substances which the sea is continually casting upon 

 its shores. We are told, that when shoals of fish are passing, 

 these Bears will follow them in a troop ; but, without doubt, 

 their usual habits, like those of all their congeners, are 

 solitary. When the winter arrives, and their time of sleep 

 approaches, they choose the hollow of a rock, a place sunk 

 in the snow, or an opening in a flake of ice, and there they 

 sleep until the sun of the returning spring awakens them 

 with his reviving beam. During this time of sleep, consi- 

 derable masses of snow accumulate upon them, and pre- 

 serve them from the excess of the cold, which would other- 



