POLAR BEAR. 
291 
she performed the same actiom and repeated it Irequently, until she had 
thus conveyed them to a considerable distance. The young Bears seemed 
perfectly conscious of their mother’s intention, for as soon as they recover- 
ed their feet, after being thrown forward, they immediately ran on in the 
proper direction, and when the mother came up to renew, the effort, the 
little rogues uniformly placed themselves across her path, that they 
might receive the full advantage of the force exerted for their safety.” 
The sagacity of the Polar Bear is said to be great, and it is very difficult 
to entrap this animal, as he scents the ground, and cautiously approaches 
even when the snare is concealed by the snow. Scoresby relates an in- 
stance of a Bear which, having got his fore-foot in a noose, very delibe- 
rately loosened the slip-knot with the other paw, and leisurely walked off 
to enjoy the bait which he had abstracted, 
Capt. J. C. Ross states in regard to this species : — “ During our stay at 
Fury Beach many of these animals came about us, and several were killed. 
At that time we were fortunately in no want of provisions, but some of 
our party, tempted by' the fine appearance of the meat, made a hearty 
meal off the first one that was shot. All that partook of it soon after com- 
plained of a violent headache, which with some continued two or three 
days, and was followed by the skin peeling off the face, hands, and arms ; 
and in some who had probably partaken more largely, off the whole body. 
On a former occasion I witnessed a somewhat similar occurrence, when, 
on Sir Edward Parry’s Polar journey, having lived for several days wholly 
on two Bears that were shot, the skin peeled off the face, legs, and arms of 
many of the party. It was then attributed rather to the quantity than the 
quality of the meat, and to our having been for sometime previous on very 
short allowance of provisions. The Esquimaux eat its flesh without ex- 
periencing any such inconvenience, but the liver is always giv'en to the 
dogs, and that may possibly be the noxious part. The Esquimaux of 
Boothia Felix killed several during their stay in our neighbourhood in 
18.30, all males.” 
GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION, 
The Polar Bear inhabits the north of both continents, having been found 
in the highest latitudes ever reached by navigators. It was seen by Capt. 
Parry in latitude 82°. It exists on all the Asiatic coasts of the Frozen 
Ocean, from the mouth of the Obi, eastward, and abounds in Nova Zembla 
and Spitzbergen. In America it is found in Greenland, Labrador, and on 
the coasts of Baffin’s and Hudson’s Bays. They seem not to be found on 
the islands in Behring’s Straits, 
