86 
this country to be here considered. Af¬ 
ter giving an account of the bear, deer, 
and fox, I shall notice the seal and wal¬ 
rus, and conclude with describing ,a few 
of the birds. Afterwards I shall give a 
short history of its discovery ; and then 
pursue the account of our voyage. 
The Ursus maritimus , or Polar bear, may 
with great propriety be termed the sove¬ 
reign of the land animals of Spitzbergen, 
or even of the Arctic circle. Unlike the 
lion of Africa, his dominion is not con¬ 
fined solely to the land ; for by means of 
the ice, he extends his ravages far from 
any continent, and disputes the supre¬ 
macy of the ocean with the walrus him¬ 
self, even in his own element. Here, 
says the poet just quoted, 
——'“ The shapeless bear. 
With dangling ice all horrid, stalks forlorn; 
Slow pac’d, and sourer as the storms increase, 
He makes his bed beneath th’ inclement drift. 
And with stern patience, scorning weak complaint. 
Hardens his heart against assailing want.” 
