

NATURAL HISTORY of NORWAY. 15 



Of this creature's prudence and difcretion, they give innumer- Prudence and 

 able inftances: among many, this feems to me moft lingular and 

 mod: credible ; out of the whole flock of cows, he picks out that 

 which hath the bell round her neck, which, by running, generally 

 gives the fignal of danger, At this bell he is mightily offended, 

 he tears it off, and if it is not a caft bell, but a hammer'd 

 one 3 he'll fluke it fb flat, with his paw, that it fhall never ipeak 

 or vex him again. He will fire off a gun, when he has taken it 

 from the huntfman ; and he (hews a great deal of cunning in 

 faving his life, when fet upon by two or three huntfmen 

 together. 



When the firft has miffed his aim, or flight! y wounded him, 

 he then lays hold of the unarmed man, and hugs him, retreat- 

 ing upon his hind legs as far as he can; knowing very well 

 the others will not fhoot him, for fear of fhooting their compa- 

 nion ; he then throws himfelf down a bank, a hill, or into a 

 ditch, and there leaves the man, dead or alive; fbmetimes it kills 

 both. If he Ends himfelf mortally wounded, then he endeavours 

 to rob the huntfman of his hide, which he knows he comes for, 

 and therefore lays hold of a very large ftone, and if there be a 

 deep water near him, he plunges himfelf into it. 



Bears are likewife good fwimmers ; they often go into the 

 rivers, and catch fifh : their broad paws are very fit to row with* 



I fhall not determine whether it is poiTible, that the white 

 Bears, feen in Finmarck, according to Hr. J. Rami, his account, 

 are of Greenland extraction ; or on the poflibility of their ever 

 havKrg^wam over the fea fuch a great way, his clumfy body 

 growing tired fwimming crofs a water of a league ; and if he 

 fees a boat by the ; way, he will go after it, if it be only to 

 reft himfelf ; if he gets in, he will fit in the ftern quite quiet 

 an4^peac£able ; the farmer however does not care to let him in, 

 if he can play his oars faft enough ; but if he has an ax in the 

 boat, the Bear's paws are fure to fmart, or pay for it, as fbon as 

 he touches the veffel. 



Soon after Michaelmas the Bear feeks his den, which is his winter re- 

 Winter quarters; this he finds under fbme mountain, where the treat ' 

 jrooks hangs over, or in fome natural cavern. Here he makes 

 himfelf a large and foft bed of mofs leaves, and the like. He 

 hides the opening .with branches and boughs of trees, and lets 

 it fnow up, fo that he is not eafily found, but by thofe that 

 are taught, or have thoroughly learnt, his cuftoms. In his den 

 he fhall be taken, fometimes for a week, with a heavy fleep, 

 •that by fhooting at him, and even wounding him, he'll hardly 



awake ; 



