BEAR. 
They feed pn fifh, feals, and the carcafles of 
whales; and on human bodies, which they will 
greedily difinter : they feern very fond of human 
blood ; and are fo fearlefs as to attack companies of 
armed men, and even to board fmall veflels : when 
on land they live on birds, and their eggs ; and, al¬ 
lured by the fcent of the feals flelh, often break in¬ 
to, and plunder the houfes of the Greenlanders: 
their greateft enemy in the brute creation is the 
Morfe *, with whom they have terrible conflicts, but 
are generally woriled, the vail teeth of the former 
giving it a fuperiority. 
The flelh is white, and faid to tafte like mutton: 
the fat is melted for train oil, and that of the feet 
ufed in medicine ; but the liver is very unwholfome, 
as three of Barents? s faiiors experienced, who fell 
dangeroufly ill on eating feme of it boiled. 
One of this fpecies was brought over to England 
a few years ago : it was very furious, a!molt always 
in motion, roared loud, and feemed very uneafy, 
except when cooled by having pail-fulls of water 
poured on it. 
Callixenus Rbodiusf , in his defeription of the 
pompous proceffion of Ptoleniosns Philadelphia at 
Alexandria , fpeaks of one great white Bear , Agxros 
\ivw pzyaXi) among other wild beafts that graced 
the fhew: notwithftanding the local lituation of 
this fpecies at prefent, it is poffible that Ptolomy 
might procure one 3 whether men could penetrate, 
* Egede Greenl. 60. 83. 
t As quoted by Atken*us } lib . v. p, 201. 
fearch 
