226 THROUGH THE MACKENZIE BASIN 



his well-earned dinner, and at the same time determined to 

 stand by his hard-won prize. At first Mr. Hackland thought 

 we might foe able to secure Mm alive, by noosing him with a 

 stout rope while in the water, but soon gave up the idea as 

 too dangerous, and we then, some six or seven men with guns, 

 fired repeatedly at the bear while on the ice and swimming 

 in the sea, at very close quarters ; but although many of the 

 bullets went wide of the mark, the shooters being mostly 

 youngsters of little experience, we afterwards ascertained 

 that it had taken a number of penetrating ones to oblige him 

 to crouch down and appear to die. After most of our party had 

 landed on the same large block of ice, in order to take pos- 

 session of their prey, one of them, with gun still loaded, 

 noticed in time a rather sudden movement of the bear, which 

 might have resulted disastrously had he not been promptly 

 finished by a ball through his head. He had been mortally 

 wounded, but he no doubt feigned death in order to avenge 

 himself, and would probably have succeeded had he not been 

 killed outright as stated. We towed his carcase to the ship, 

 and it was at once hoisted on board and well skinned by 

 expert Greenland whale-fishery men among the crew. He 

 was very fat and heavy. Soon after our return a severe 

 gale sprang up, which enabled us to leave the ice fields for 

 good. 



Except for 1902 and 1903, when 170 and 96 skins, re- 

 spectively, were sold in London, I have no idea of the Com- 

 pany's annual sales of this .species. All the skins are 

 obtained from natives of the Arctic coast, Hudson Bay, 

 Uiijgava, and Labrador. When the North Pole is discovered, 

 as I expect it will be some day, I believe the white bear will 

 be one of the very few mammals found there. I thinl?; every 

 Arctic^exploring and Eranklin search-expedition refers to 

 the presence of this animal in the polar seas of Greenland 

 and the Dominion. The Investigator secured four large 

 specimens in Prince of Wales Strait, and Doctor Armstrong 

 calls Baring Island " the Land of the Polar Bear." Sir 

 Leopold McClintock observed several individuals when drift- 



