408 
THE BEAR. 
maux. The early voyagers gave wonderful 
accounts of the size and strength of these 
creatures; and, though later travellers show 
some Exaggeration in these stories, enough 
still remains to show that they are suffi¬ 
ciently formidable. The greatest length 
recorded is eight feet from nose to tail, 
and the greatest weight sixteen hundred 
pounds. Seven feet is a more ordinary 
size, and many are smaller: I am certain the 
one that I saw could not have measured 
more than five feet. The head of the 
Polar hear is long and flat, the ears and 
mouth small, the eyes moderately large, 
the neck long and thick, the foot large and 
the sole of it covered with hair. The Esqui¬ 
maux take off the skin of the legs and feet 
whole, and use it as a boot and legging; 
and it is the mode to let the claws project 
beyond the foot, as they were worn by the 
original owner.” 
“ They would be convenient for walking 
upon the ice,” remarked Richard; “but I 
should think the long claws would be in 
the way in running.” 
“ The claws are not nearly so .long as 
those of the grisly bear,” replied Miss 
