PARENTAL AFFECTION OF THE ICE-BEAR. 13a 



of some blubber of a sea-horse that the crew had killed a few 

 days before, which had been set on fire ; for they drew out of 

 the flames a part of the flesh that remained unconsumed, and 

 ate it voraciously. The crew from the ship threw great lumps 

 of the flesh of the sea-horse, which they had still left, upon the 

 ice, which the old bear fetched singly, laid every lump before 

 her cubs as she brought it, and dividing it, gave to each a share, 

 reserving but a small portion to herself. As she was fetching 

 away the last piece, they levelled their muskets at the cubs and 

 shot them both dead, and in her retreat they wounded the dam, 

 but not mortally. It would have drawn tears of pity from any 

 but unfeeling minds, to have marked the affectionate concern 

 expressed by this poor beast in the dying moments of her ex- 

 piring young. Though she was herself dreadfully wounded, 

 and could but just crawl to the place where they lay, she carried 

 the lump of flesh she had fetched away, as she had done others 

 before, tore it in pieces, and laid it before them ; and when she 

 saw that they refused to eat, she laid her paws first upon one 

 and then upon the other, and endeavoured to raise them up, 

 piteously moaning all the while. When she found she could not 

 stir them, she went off, and when she had got at some distance, 

 looked back and moaned ; and that not availing her to entice 

 them away, she returned, and smelling round them, began to 

 lick their wounds. She went off a second time as before, and 

 having crawled a few paces, looked again behind her, and for 

 some time stood moaning. But still her cubs not rising to fol- 

 low her, she returned to them again, and with signs of inex- 

 pressible fondness, went round one and round the other, pawing 

 them and moaning. Finding at last that they were cold and 

 lifeless, she raised her head towards the ship, and uttered a 

 growl of despair, which the murderers returned with a volley of 

 musket balls. She fell between her cubs, and died licking their 

 wounds. 



The Sea-Otter is the last of the marine mammiferous animals 

 that claim our attention. Although it is also found in the 

 southern Pacific, yet its chief resort is in the Behring's Sea, 

 along the chain of the Aleut Islands. It is but a small animal, 

 yet its long-haired, beautifully fine and black fur, which is not 

 seldom paid for with 400 or 500 rubles, renders it by far the 

 most important product of those seas. It has even got an his- 



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