THE GRIZZLY AND BLACK BEAR 
round thing with two jet black tufts moving from side to side about 100 
yards away. I raised myself slightly to get a better view, and at once the 
black object showed itself to be the head of a large black bear. Suddenly 
up went a great paw and something white flashed for a moment as the 
bear attempted to throw out a salmon towards the bank, but he missed. 
In moving to get into a shooting position, the sharp eyes of the bear detected 
me, and in a moment a fearful commotion arose in the water as it plunged 
through the water to the further bank. Here the bear entered some bushes, 
where a snap shot at its retreating quarters failed. But I had my eye on 
a wide space some twenty yards further on, and as the bear crossed the 
opening at full speed I got him nicely with the second shot right through 
the heart. He gave a bawling cry like a child in pain, staggered forward 
and fell dead. This proved to be a fine male of 6 feet in length and was in 
splendid coat. 
The polar bear inhabits all the Arctic regions above the continent of 
North America. Owing to the number of hunters it is not now so common 
as it used to be between Point Barrow and Hudson’s Bay. Moreover, the 
whalers, Indians and Esquimaux are better armed. Polar bears sometimes 
wander a little way into the barrens, but never very far from the sea coast, 
even when it is blocked with ice. A few range south along the Labrador 
coast in winter and spring, and retreat with the movement of the ice north- 
wards. Formerly this bear was quite common as far south as Cartwright, 
and many stayed all the summer hunting the adjacent islands for birds 
and eggs, but now they are extinct as residents, and only an occasional 
one is killed by the Newfoundland sealers on the ice to the north of the 
Straits of Belle Isle. 
The habits and sport relating to this animal are detailed in the European 
section of this work, so we need not further refer to them. No sportsman 
would go to the Arctic coast of America in search of polar bears only, 
because they can be obtained more easily on the east coast of Greenland 
and off Franz Joseph Land; but specimens may be secured in North America 
if the hunter is lucky, whilst a hunt is in progress for caribou or musk ox. 
383 
