The Bears 



123 



The maiiceuvres of an ice-bear in tlie vrater are marvellons to watcli. Tliouirli so bnlky a 

 beast, It swims, dives, rolls over and over, catelies seals or fisli, or plays both on and under 

 the water with an ease and evident enjoyment wliich show that it is in its favourite element. 

 One fiivounte game of the ie,-bear is t„ lie on its back in the water, and then to catch hold 

 of Its hmd toes with its fore feet, when it resembles a half-rolled hedaeliog of gi^rantie size. 

 It then rolls over and over in the water like a revolving cask. Its footstej^s are" absolutely 

 noiseless, as the claws are shorter than in the land-bear's, and more muffled in fur. This 

 noiseless power of appr,jach is very nec(>ssary when it has to catch sucli warv creatures as 

 basking seals. A very large projiortion of the food formerly eaten by ice-bears in summer was 

 l.robably putrid, as they were always supplied with a quantity of the refuse carcases of wliales 

 and seals left by the whaling-ships. Tliis may account for \he bad results to tlie sailors who 

 ate the bears' flesh. Now the whaling industry is so little pursued that the bears have to catch 

 their dinners for tliemselves, and eat fresh food. 



Photo hv tlic Nrir York Zoolor/iraf Sor/'flJu 



HALF-GROWN POLAR BEARS. 



When young; polar bears are brought to Enghind or l^ew York on board ship, they arrive with coats almost as yellow as a sponge. It takes a 



"week's batliin'^f to lestLire the pure white colour. 



The Arctic explorer NordenskiiJld saw much of the ice-bears on his voyages, and left us 

 what is perha})S the best description of their attempts to stalk men, mistaking them for other 

 animals. " When the polar bear observes a man," he writes in his " Voyage of the Vega," " he 

 commonly approaches him as a possible prey, with supple movements and a hundred zigzag 

 bends, in order to conceal the direction he means to take, and to prevent the man feeling 

 frightened. During his approach he often climbs up on to blocks of ice, or raises himself on 

 his hind legs, in order to get a more extensive view. If he thinks he has to do with a seal, 

 he creeps or trails himself forward on the ice, and is then said to conceal with his fore iia,ws 

 the only part of his body that contrasts with the white colour of the snow — his large black 

 nose. If the man keeps quite still, the fiear comes in this way so near that it can be shot at 

 the distance of two gun-lengths, or killed with a lance, which the hunters consider safer." 



When a vessel lies at anchor, a polar bear sometimes swims out to it, to inspect the 

 visiting ship ; it has also a special fancy for breaking open and searching stores of provisions, 



