502 



EUROPE. 



Black European Bear. 



he Norwegians there 



has long been a prov- 

 erb, that it has the 

 strength of 10 men, 

 and the sense of 12 

 They never presume 

 to call it by its own 

 name, lest it should 

 be offended, but men- 

 tion it as " the old 

 man with the fur 

 cloak." It is a curi- 

 ^^Ks=- ous fact, tl)at the 

 ^KS!^- North A merican Indi- 

 ans seem to hold the 

 j^i^^ bear in the same re- 

 ' spect, as has already 



\ : been stated, under the 

 head of North Amer- 

 ica. The bear, which 

 figures so often in the 

 accounts of the old 

 English sports, as af- 

 fording the cruel pastime of bear-bating, and as being taught to dance for the amusement of 

 the people, was the brown bear. Some aulliors have thought, that there was another species 

 found in Europe, to which they gave the name of the Black Bear [Ursus niger)^ but this 

 is now considered to have been a mistake. 



The White or Polar Bear {U. niuriiintiift) is iiuich larger than the Brown Bear, and is of 

 a yellowish white color. It inhabits only the coldest parts of the globe, and sometimes lives 

 DLi large islands of ice. It feeds on the carcasses of wliales, fish, and seals. It is very 

 'erocious, and is remarkable for its attachment to its young. 



The Fox (VuJpes vulgaris) is spread over Europe, and everywhere dis[)lays the same 

 activity and cunning. The chase of the fox is a very favorite diversion in Great Britain, 

 where it is pursued with great ardor. The Greyhound Fox is found in the mountainous 



He is very bold and wild in his appearance. The Cur 

 Fox is the niost common and the smallest 

 species. It lurks about the houses, and 

 steals every thing within its reach. It is 

 very playful and familiar when tamed. The 

 Black Fox (V. m-gentnlvs) is found in Rus- 

 sia, and its skin is esteemed superior to the 

 .^.finest sable. The Cross Fox ( F. decttssa- 

 ^"'fs^tns) is found in the coldest parts of Europe, 

 where its fur is very valuable. The Arctic 

 Fox ( V. lagopus) is found in the frozen re- 

 gions of the north, and is of a whitish color. 

 It burrows in the ground, and sometimes 

 lives in clefts of rocks. 



The Wolf (C. lupus) is found in al- 

 most every country in the world, and is 

 very common in Europe. Its appetite for 

 every kind of animal food is excessive, and 

 when hungry it will attack all sorts of ani- 

 mals ; even man himself has sometimes fallen a victim to its rapacity. The Jackal (C. aureus) 

 IS found in Greece. It goes in packs, and hunts like a hound in full cry. It destroys poultry 

 and flocks, and carries oft" all it can find. It also seeks for dead bodies, and devout? them 

 ft hides in holes during the day, but hunts its prey in the night. 



parts of England and Scotland. 



■'-'.vi,^".s- 

 Tkt Common Fox. 



