When the bear is near enough,
with a sudden movement it seizes the innocent and defenseless victim,
and makes a fat feast. Unless it is very hungry, it eats little besides
the blubber, leaving the rest for the foxes. It is said that arctic
foxes often follow in the path of bears, and gain their entire living
from the refuse of the bear's feast.

The nest of the she-bear is a wonderful illustration of instinct, and a
proof of the fact that a thick wall of snow is an excellent protection
against cold. Toward the month of December the bear selects a spot at
the foot of some cliff, where she burrows in the snow, and, remaining
quiet, allows the heavy snow-storms to cover her with drifts. The warmth
of her body enlarges the hole so that she can move herself, and her
breath always keeps a small passage open in the roof of her den. Before
retiring to these winter-quarters she eats voraciously, and becomes
enormously fat, so that she is able to exist a long time without food.
In this snuggery the bear remains until some time in March, when she
breaks down the walls of her palace, and comes out to renew her
wandering life, with some little white baby bears for her companions,
which have been born during her long seclusion.

Many funny and exciting stories are told by arctic travellers of
encounters with bears. During Dr. Kane's expedition a scouting party who
were away from the ship, and sleeping in a tent on the ice, were
awakened by a scratching in the snow outside. On looking out they saw a
huge bear reconnoitring the circuit of the tent. Their fire-arms were
stacked on the sledge a short distance off, as had they been kept inside
the tent, the frost from the men's breath would have clogged them and
rendered them useless. There was nothing to be done but to keep quiet,
and hope his bearship would go away. But the bear was bent on discovery,
and his big head soon appeared through the fold of the tent. Volleys of
lucifer matches and burning newspapers which were thrown at him did not
disturb him in the least, and he quietly proceeded to make his supper
upon the carcass of a seal. One of the men then cut a hole in the rear
of the tent, and crawling cautiously out, was able to reach the guns,
and soon sent a bullet through the body of the huge beast.

[Illustration: SLAIN IN DEFENSE OF HER YOUNG.]

The mother bear's affection for her little ones is so strong that she
will lose her life defending them. Two arctic huntsmen once