ld be heard trickling under stones before that time; and about the
18th, many considerable streams were formed, and constantly running both
night and day. After this the thawing proceeded at an inconceivably
rapid rate, the whole surface of the floes being covered with large
pools of water rapidly increasing in size and depth.

The animals seen at Port Bowen may now be briefly noticed. The principal
of these seen during the winter were bears, of which we killed twelve
from October to June, being more than during all the other voyages
taken together; and several others were seen. One of these animals was
near proving fatal to a seaman of the Fury, who, having straggled from
his companions, when at the top of a high hill saw a large bear coming
towards him. Being unarmed, he prudently made off, taking off his boots
to enable him to run the faster, but not so prudently precipitated
himself over an almost perpendicular cliff, down which he was said to
have rolled or fallen several hundred feet; here he was met by some of
the people in so lacerated a condition as to be in a very dangerous
state for some time after.

A she-bear, killed in the open water on our first arrival at Port Bowen,
afforded a striking instance of maternal affection in her anxiety to
save her two cubs. She might herself easily have escaped the boat, but
would not forsake her young, which she was actually "towing" off, by
allowing them to rest on her back, when the boat came near them. A
second similar instance occurred in the spring, when two cubs having got
down into a large crack in the ice, their mother placed herself before
them, so as to secure them from the attacks of our people, which she
might easily have avoided herself.

One or two foxes (_Canis Lagopus_) were killed, and four caught in traps
during the winter, weighing from four pounds and three quarters to three
pounds and three quarters. The colour of one of these animals, which
lived for some time on board the Fury, and became tolerably tame, was
nearly pure white till the month of May, when he shed his winter coat,
and became of a dirty chocolate colour, with two or three light brown
spots. Only three hares (_Lepus Variabilis_) were killed from October
to June, weighing from six to eight pounds and three quarters. Their fur
was extremely thick, soft, and of the most beautiful whiteness
imaginable. We saw no deer near Port Bowen at any season, neither were
we visited by their enemies the