y. He called to his
unfortunate comrade that he was afraid of hitting him if he fired at
the bear; but the latter entreated him to fire immediately, as the
animal was squeezing him to death. On this he took a deliberate aim,
and discharged his piece into the body of the bear, which instantly
dropped its prey to pursue Bourasso. He escaped with difficulty, and
the bear retreated to a thicket, where it is supposed to have died. The
man who was rescued had his arm fractured, and was otherwise severely
bitten by the bear, but finally recovered.

The WHITE BEAR.--The polar bear is considerably larger than the brown
or black bear, and is covered with a long, thick fur, of a bright white
beneath and of a yellowish tinge above. Besides the difference in
external appearance, there is a remarkable distinction between the
brown and the polar bears; for the former prefers, as his abode, the
wooded summits of alpine regions, feeding principally on roots and
vegetables; while the latter fixes his residence on the sea-coast, or
on an iceberg, and seems to delight in the stormy and inhospitable
precincts of the arctic circle, where vegetation is scarcely known to
exist, feeding entirely on animal matter. But it cannot be regarded as
a predatory quadruped, for it seems to prefer dead to living animal
food, its principal subsistence being the floating carcasses of whales.
It also preys upon seals, which it catches with much keenness and
certainty, as they ascend to the surface of the ocean to breathe; and
sometimes fish are caught by them, when they enter shoals or gulfs.
They move with great dexterity in the water, and capture their prey
with apparent ease. It is only when these bears quit their winter
quarters, and especially when the female has to protect her young, that
they manifest great ferocity.

While the Carcass, one of the ships of Captain Phipps's voyage of
discovery to the north pole, was locked in the ice, early one morning
the man at the mast-head gave notice that three bears were making their
way very fast over the Frozen Ocean, and were directing their course
towards the ship. They had no doubt been invited by the scent of some
blubber of a sea-horse, which the crew had killed a few days before,
and which, having been set on fire, was burning on the ice at the time
of their approach. They proved to be a she-bear and her two cubs; but
the cubs were nearly as large as the dam. They ran eagerly to the fire,
and drew out f