B E A 
B E A 
great quantities of peas; and, beating them out of 
the H^iells on fome ftone or hard fpot of ground, 
eats the peas, and carries off the flraw. In winter, 
when vegetable food begins to grow fcarce, it of- 
ten breaks into farmers yards, and makes terrible 
havock among their oats. 
The voice of the Brown Bear (and, indeed, of 
every other fpecies) is a kind of growl ; and though, 
when tamed, it appears gentle and placid to it's 
owner, it feould neverthelefs be cautioufly ma- 
naged, being often capricious, treacherous, and 
vindi<?cive. Though apparently ftupid and auk- 
v/ard in the extreme, it is not altogether indocile- 
There are few peribns, perliaps, who have not feen 
it dance on it's hind legs; tliough it''s air and mo- 
tion are proverbially ungraceful. 
After the Bear arrives at maturity, it becom.es 
incapable of being tamed ; but, notwithftanding 
it's ferocity, the natives of thofe countries which it 
inhabits hunt it with great alacrity. The moft 
general and Icafi dangerous m^ethod of catching 
Bears, is by throwing brandy on honey, which they 
eat with avidity, and thus become intoxicated. In 
Canada, wliere Bears are numerous, as they com- 
monly take up their lodging in trees rendered hol- 
low towards the top by age,, they are taken by fet- 
ting fire to thefe retreats, which are frequently -from 
twenty to thirty feet from the ground. The old 
Bear generally ventures firfi: out of it's den, and is 
iliotby the hunters ; and the young ones, as they de- 
fcend, are caught in fnares. 
Bear, White. This fpecies has a long. head 
and neck; fhort round ears; large teeth ; and limibs 
of vaft fize and ftrength. The hair is long, foft, 
and white; being tinged in Ibme parrs with yel- 
low. The length of the White Bear is frequently 
thirteen feet ; and it feems to be almofl: the only 
animal v hich, by being placed in the arftic regions, 
grows larger than thofe of temperate climes. All 
other fpecies of animated nature, as they approach 
the poles, feem to diminilh in fize, through the ri- 
gours of the furroundingaiinofphere ; but the Sear, 
unmoleRed in thefe defolate clicnes, and mieeting 
with no opponent more powerful than itfelf, grov/s 
to an enormous f ze: and, as the lion is the t)Tant 
of the African forefis, fo the Bear fways his rude 
fceptre over the icy mountains of Greenland and 
Spitzbergen. 
When our miariners land on the unfrequented 
parts of thofe gelid coafts, the White Bears come 
dov/n to view them : they approach flowly,feemingly 
undetermined whether to advance or retreat ; and, 
being naturally 'timid, they are urged on to attack 
their enemies only by a confcioulhefs of their 
fuperior ftrength. When ftiot at, however, or 
wounded, they attempt to fly; or, if tliey find that 
imprafticable, they m.ake a fierce and defperate re- 
fiftance. 
Thefe animals live on fifn, feals, the carcaies 
of whales, and even on human bodies ; which laft 
they often greedily dig out of their graves. De- 
lighting in humian blood, they are fom.etim.es fo 
daring as to attack companies of arm:ed m.en, and 
even to board fmall veiTels. During the fum.mer 
feafon, tliey reflde on the iflands of ice, frequently 
ftiifting from one to another. Being excellent 
fwimm.ers, they dive with great agility; in which 
acl battles fometim.es enfue between, th:m and the 
morfe or the whale ; in which the whale is general- 
ly victorious, being the mofc expert of the tv/o in 
it's own element. If the Bear, however, is fortu- 
nate enough to find a young whale, it in general 
amply repays itfelf for the danger incurred hf 
meeting with the parent. 
The mutual affeftion which fubfifts between the 
female V/hite Bear and it's young is fo ftrong,< 
that they will rather die than defert each other : and 
hifcory furnifhes us with feveral remarkable in- 
ftances, where the maternal love difplayed by this, 
animal has been at once extraordinary and afie6ting. 
This creature feems to be entirely confined to 
the coldeft regions of the globe; for it does not ap- 
pear, from any refpectable authority, to be met with 
any farther to the fouthward than Newfoundland.. 
- Such Bears as have appeared in m.ore temperate lati- 
tudes have been involuntarily carried thither on 
floating iflands of ice; fo that the countries of Nor-, 
v/ay and Iceland can only be acquainted with them 
throuo'h accident. 
The flefla of this animal is white, and taft-es like 
mutton. It's fat is melted for train oil ; and that 
extracted from it's feet is ufed in medicine. The 
liver is faid to pofiefs poifonous qualities. 
A fev/ years fince, one of this fpecies v/as public- 
ly exhibited in England. It appeared very furi- 
ous ; roared loud ; and feemed conftantly uneafy^ 
except v/hen cooled by large quantities of water 
poured over it. 
Land-Bears,, fpotted with white, and at other 
times wholly white, have fometimes been obfervedy 
in a wandering ftate, in thofe parts of Ruflia which 
border on Siberia; and are probably fuch as 
have ftrayed. out of the lofty fnowy miOuntains which 
divide the tv/o countries. 
Bear, Kamtschatka. The Beai*s of Kamt- 
fchatka are neither large nor fierce; never attack- 
ing the inhabitants^ unlefs they find them afleep-,. 
and then feldom killing them, though they frequent- 
ly tear thefcalp from the back part of their heads; 
and, when fiercer than ordinary, lacerate fome of. 
the flcfny parts, but never eat them. The people 
who have been thus wounded are called Dranki,. 
and are frequently met wiih. It is rem.arkable^.. 
that the Bears of Kamitfchatka, though fo nume- 
rous as to cover the fields lilce cattle in firmmer, 
never hurt women; but go about with them like 
tame animals, efpecially when they gather berries. 
Sometimes, indeed, the Bears eat up the berries 
which the women have gathered; but that is the- 
fole injury they ever offer them. 
In the feafon when the fifli enter the mouths of. 
the rivers in vaft ftioals, great numbers of Bears 
j comiC down from the hills, and fettle in proper 
I places for catching them; which they do in fuch 
j profufior, that they only eat and fuck the bones of 
I the heads, neffleCtino; the bodies: but when thi.s> 
I plenty ceafes, they are glad to gnay/ the bones which- 
they formerly defpifed. They frequently fteal nih. 
I from the fiftiing-huts of the Coffacks, though.- 
I there is always a womian left to watch them; andt 
to her, indeed, they never do any hurt. 
Before the introduction of fire-arms, the people- 
of Kamtlchatka ufed many devices for killing the- 
Bears.- Among others, the follovving feem moft 
v/orthy of notice. Having cut feveral billets of 
wood, they ftopped up the mouth of the den v/ith.-. 
them ;. thefe the Bear never failed to draw in, thai- 
his paffxge from his den m.ight not be ihut up. 
This they continued doing till he was fo ftraiten- 
ed in his den, that he could not turn himfeif; 
tliey then dug down from above, and killed him 
v/ith their fpears. The Koreki, in order to catch 
the Bear, feck out fome tree that is crooked above^ 
on whick they faften a fnare,. and behind it pla,ce 
fome 
