220 
THE CABINET OF NATURAL HISTORY, 
inaction, without food, from the latter part of December 
or January till about the end of March; then they relin- 
quish their dens to seek food on the sea-shore, accompa- 
nied by their cubs, which are usually two in number. The 
size of the cubs is very small; when they first leave the 
cave with the mother they are not larger than rabbits; 
yet we have seen that the weight of the full grown ani- 
mal sometimes exceeds a thousand pounds. Hearne states 
that lie has seen them not larger than a white fox, and 
their foot-prints on the snow not larger than a crown 
piece, when the impression of their dam’s foot measured 
upwards of fourteen inches long by nine in breadth. This 
length and breadth appear excessive, and were probably 
rather more than the actual size of the foot itself, as the 
impression of the hair projecting over the feet would give an 
appearance in the snow which might lead to an incorrect 
notion of the size of the animal. The enterprising observer 
above mentioned is of opinion that these animals breed 
when very young, or at least when half grown, as he has 
killed young females “ not larger than a London calf,” 
having milk in their teats; “ whereas one of the full 
grown ones are heavier than the largest of our common 
oxen. Indeed, I was once at the killing of one, when 
one of its hind feet, being cut off at the ancle, weighed 
fifty-four pounds. 
The female Polar Bear is as rugged in her appearance, 
and as savagely ferocious in disposition, as her mate; yet 
to her offspring she displays a tenderness of affection 
which strongly contrasts with her fierce and sanguinary 
temper. When her cubs are exposed, danger has no ex- 
istence to her, and nothing but death can compel her to 
desist from struggling desperately to defend or save them. 
The death of her offspring is with great difficulty acknow- 
ledged by the parent; when they are shot by her side the 
poor beast solicits their attention by every fond artifice, 
and endeavours to awaken them from their unnatural 
sleep: she offers them food, licks their wounds, caresses 
and moans over them in such a manner as to evince a 
degree of feeling which could scarcely be anticipated from 
so rude and terrible a quadruped. 
Numerous instances of this fondness of attachment have 
been observed, and some of them attended with most sin- 
gular displays of sagacity on the part of the mother. The 
following circumstance is related in Scoresby’s account of 
the Arctic Regions, and is entitled to the fullest cre- 
dence, because coming from so competent and excellent 
an observer: 
“ A she-bear, with her two cubs, were pursued on the 
ice by some of the men, and were so closely approached, 
as to alarm the mother for the safety of her offspring. 
Finding that they could not advance with the desired 
speed, she used various artifices to urge them forward, 
but without success. Determined to save them, if possi- 
ble, she ran to one of the cubs, placed her nose under it, 
and threw it forward as far as possible; then going to the 
other, she performed the same action, and repeated it 
frequently until she had thus conveyed them to a conside- 
rable distance. The young bears seemed perfectly con- 
scious of their mother’s intention, for as soon as they re- 
covered their feet, after being thrown forward, they im- 
mediately ran on in the proper direction, and when the 
mother came up to renew the effort, the little rogues uni- 
formly placed themselves across her path, that they might 
receive the full advantage of the force exerted for their 
safety.” 
The most affecting instance on record of the maternal 
affection exhibited by this bear, is related in one of the 
Polar Voyages; it conveys so excellent an idea of this 
creature’s strong feeling of parental love, that we should 
deem the history of the animal imperfect, were such an 
illustration omitted. 
“ Early in the morning, the man at the mast-head gave 
notice that three bears were making their way very fast 
over the ice, and directing their course towards the ship. 
They had probably been invited by the blubber of a sea- 
horse, which the men had set on fire, and which was 
burning on the ice at the time of their approach. They 
proved to be a she-bear and her two cubs; but the cubs 
were nearly as large as the dam. They ran eagerly to the 
fire, and drew out from the flames part of the flesh of the 
sea-horse, which remained unconsumed, and ate it vora- 
ciously. The crew from the ship threw great pieces of 
the flesh, which they had still left, upon the ice, which 
the old bear carried away singly, laid every piece before 
her cubs, and dividing them, gave each a share, reserving 
but a small portion to herself. As she was carrying away 
the last piece, they levelled their muskets at the cubs, 
and shot them both dead; and in her retreat, they wound- 
ed the dam, but not mortally. 
“It would have drawn tears of pity from any but un- 
feeling minds, to have marked the affectionate concern 
manifested by this poor beast, in the last moments of her 
expiring young. Though she was sorely wounded, and 
could but just crawl to the place where they lay, she 
carried the lump of flesh she had fetched away, as she had 
done the others before, tore it in pieces, and laid it down 
before them; and when she saw they refused to eat, she 
laid her paws first upon one, and then upon the other, and 
endeavoured to raise them up. All this while it was piteous 
to hear her moan. When she found she could not stir 
them, she went off; and when at some distance, looked 
back and moaned; and that not availing to entice them 
