410 
POLAE BEAE. 
try of Meson, in the north of Russia, are destitute 
of them ; they are found on the shores of Hudson's 
Bay, Greenland, and Spitzbergen ; they are also 
met with in great abundance in Nova Zerabla, and 
from the river Oby, along the coast of Siberia, to 
the mouths of the Jenesei and Lena ; but are never 
seen far inland, unless they lose their way in mists. 
None are found in Kamschatka or its islands. 
They have been seen as far south as Newfound- 
land ; but they are not natives of that country, 
being only brought there accidentally on the 
islands of ice that float along the northern seas, 
from the polar regions southward. 
The immense number of these animals in the 
polar regions are truly astonishing. They are not 
only seen at land, but often on ice-floats several 
leagues at sea. They are frequently transported 
in this manner to the very shores of Iceland ; 
where they no sooner land, than all the natives 
are in arms to receive them. It sometimes hap- 
pens that when a Greenlander and his wife are 
paddling out at sea, by coming too near an ice- 
float, a white bear unexpectedly jumps into their 
boat; and, if he does not overset it, sits calmly 
where he first alighted, and like a passenger suffers 
himself to be rowed along. It is probable that the 
Greenlander is never very fond of his unwieldy 
guest ; however, he makes a virtue of necessity,, 
and hospitably rows him to shore. 
The polar bears are animals of tremendous fierce- 
ness* Barentz, ui his voyage in search of a north- 
east passage to China, had the most horrid proofs 
©f their ferocity in the island of Nova Zembla ; 
where they attacked his seamen, seizing them in 
their mouths, carrying them off with the utmost 
ease, and devouring them even in the sight of 
their comrades. 
Not many years ago, the crew of a boat belong- 
