The Sun.
London, England, 1860-01-23 00:00:00

THE BEAR'S POTATO AND THE MUSK-RAT.

" Now and then Du Roy pointed out to me spots in the
forest where the bears had been scratching for the make-
pin." This is a small tuber, which the Canadians call the
bear's potato, nearly a translation of the Indian term. We
dug some, and I tasted them, but found them marvellously
bitter. But man digs after them just as greedily as the
bear, and, i&eed, this shaggy bourgeois—as the Canadians
often call the bear, like the Ojibbeways give him the title of
Forest-man—digs after, and is fond of, many things which
men also like. Ali !' said Du Roy, 'this bourgeois often
works in his potato-fields like a tressure-seeker. He is a
dainty gentleman, and eats the bitter fruit with as much
enjoyment as an American chews tobacco. Lately, I dis-
turbed one eating makopin as I went through the forest.
He only went a little out of my way, and sat down on a
large log, where he smacked his lips and yawned, like a
man picking his teeth after dinner. Unfortunately I had
no elm with me, and went on my way. He let me pass,
and looked after me. Ah, oui !it est boa enfant, ce bour-
geois-la'.' As the bear is no less a gourmand than the In-
dian, and as it tries all the edible productions of the forest,
and has a number of favourite articles of food among them,
the Indians have named at least a dozen plants after the
bear : ' bear potatoes,' bear roots,' bear nuts,' `bear
berries,' &c. The latter wo frequently found growing in
the wood ; the English call it service,' and also bear-
berry,' which is the translation of the Indian word mak-
wimin.' It is a variety of the lote-tree, and grows very
handsomely. At this time we found it covered entirely
with splendidly glistening red berries, and our Canadian
told us that the bears bend down the whole trees with their
paws, and then eat off the berries, like children do with a
blackbenT bush.
In the thick reed-beds by which our canoe at times
passed, I noticed now and then very curious excavations,
hole:, or little bays. I was told that the musk-rat produces
this phenomena when getting in its harvest. We saw the
nests or hay piles of these interesting animals all around us,.
and it is, indeed, one of the most common creatures in
North America. The Canadians told me that the loon (the
great northern diver) lived here in a species of community
with the musk-rat, in the same way as the owl with the
prabio dog. The loon lays its eggs in these loges de rat
Wean,' as the Canadians call them, and they run no risk
from the excellent teeth of its little friend. I had, how-
ever, no opportunity of verifying this fact in any of the
musk-rat dwellings I have frequently inspected. Still I
had the pleasure at any rate, which I had not yet enjoyed,
of seeing a heavy loon flying far above my head. Hitherto
I had only seen the loon swim and dive, and almost doubted
whether it could fly. 4: In fact, flying causes it some diffi-
culty ; at least rising in the air does. People say it requires
wind for the purpose, and can hardly do it in calm weal her.
But, when once under way, it flies not only high but for a
long distance, and makes great journeys both in spring and
autumn. The loon we saw was quite alone, and soared like
an eagle. I also heard here fur the first time its clear, loud,
and harmonious cry. Our Canadian replied to it from the
canoe, vol : vol He said he could entice the loons
down withsit."

THE DEAR KNIFE,

"Same of the Western Indian tribes have what they call
a couteau &ours.' This a knife drawn through the mouth
and grinders of a dead bear—doubtless with certain forms
and ceremonies—and thus receives magical qualities. Such
a knife as this, which is certain to kill, and at the same
time make the owner brave, can only be purchased at a
highs price. There is also only one way of transferring it to
another owner, so as not to destroy its power. The buyer
must permit the seller to throw it at his breast like a jave-
lin, and catch it in the air. If he has not the courage for
this, r misses it, the knife losses its qualities, and the clumsy
purchaser his life into the bargain.
"Of all the animals that exist in their forests, the In-
dians respect the bear most. They regard it almost in the
light of a human being. Indeed, they will often say that
the bear is an Anijinabe ' (Indian). They will converse
with it, thinking all the while the animal must understand
them. The little bear-pups are so droll, and so full of life
and comical liveliness, and the old bears are so remarkably
clever and crafty, that it may be easily understood how the
Indians can imagine that they sea enchanted beings in

them.
" The things told me here about the tricks and cheating
of the bears are almost incredible. But everybody repeats
them to me, and believes them. Thus, a hunter told me
recently of thei tricks and schemes a bear will perform when
it knows itself pursued, and wishes to deceive its follower
as to the direction it has taken.

This is most difficult to perform in winter, when the
ground is covered with show and the rivers with ice. In
summer the bear will often take to streams and brooks, and
run up end down their bed. The hunter in pursuit is then
unable to say in what direction it has gone. In the winter.
when the snow betrays the bear everywhere, it has to think
of other devices. Then it leaves the treacherous ground as
frequently as possible, and .springs along on the tree stumps
which lie about all these forests, piltd up on each other.
At times, when a violent storm has raged, whole districts
in the forests for miles round will be covered with over-
blown trees. Thus is formed what the French Canadians
call a 'renversi.' Fortunate for the flying bear if it can
reach such a spot. It then balances itself along on the
stumps, and takes long flying leaps. Less snow usually
lies on these trees, and, besides, wind and sun melt it away
more easily than on the ground. It; however, the bear sees
the mark of its footprints left upon them, it will steer a
zig-zag course, turn back on the same trail, or leap aside.
I was even told that at times Bruin will purposely return
on his trail, and thus produce a perfect labyrinth of foot-
! marks, in which the hunter can find no Ariadne's thread.
' I 1 embrouille sa piste,' the Canadians say.
" At times, too, the animal will climb up trees stern fore-
most, so as to make the pursuers, when they notice the
marks on the tree, fancy that it has come down again.
" I was also told that a bear will wait and watch about
for perhaps three days before it will enter the hollow tree
in which it intends to pass the winter."

The llon. Mrs. Norton is so dangerously ill
that very little lives are entertained of her recovery.
THE NEWLY-DISCOVERED MS. OF THE BIBLE
FROM MOUNT Sixii.—A letter from St. Petersburg says :
—" When the German Christmas was approaching, Pro-
fessor Tischendorf left here for Saxony, but assured the
t
as Ministerh o
would o of
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nth Enlightenment,e West,e tiobtinofhosaluir
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ibr
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returnptiuoh rne.
hero, both at court and in other circles, by his Oriental
t
in a few months. The greater the sensation
tshtihrneea esncixoosnepbnaijictireteeecidr
concert
collection, the greater WAS the j
encounteredi‘ts .o the
B fromib someotfoo
ootherne instance.quwa rat
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.w when it
literaryandth atattpack,
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chase,employed
for producing facsimile.. academician,
that the Imperial Governrapmheynwwasas
with ()there, published in the (academical) Garette of this
article tending to impeach its age and value. The
article tin destitute of all palaeographical
article wee. -acumen, and of
pretensions to textual criticism. It
all .• contained merely
insinuations, but suffice
vague i d, on account of the organ in
which it appeared, to render many sceptical, as it was de-
sired. Tischendorf has n
now replied to this academical
article, in which he proves that the Sinaitio MS. cannot be
younger than the early part of the 4th century, and hie
arguments are so convincin.• that the hostile critic himself
now writes It wasdoubt l/ no means my intention to throw
a on the statement of M. Tischendorf respecting the
antiquityb of the Biblical MS. of Mount Sinai. "rischendorf
itneelf re-asserts that in what concerns the Bible of Sinai,
I place it beyond a doubt in the first half of the 4th century.'
It. must therefore be the oldest now extant in the world.
The Vatican MS. can only compete with it as to the century
perhaps, but the latter is deficient in textual completeness,
seeing dud it wants five whole books of the New Testament
alone, and altogether one-sixth of the entire Bible. After
' giving his various arguments and reasons, with numerous
quotations from the fathers in support of them, the learned
professor goes on to say that in his own 7th edition of the
New Testament the text he has used is confirmed in several
thousand passages by the Sinai MS. most carefully read
through and copied by himself. Finally, having already
published for the Christian world 10 folio volumes, with
biblical documents 1,000 years old, he claims the fullest
confidence from the public in the arrangements to be made
for the publication of this MS., expressing hie conviction
not only that the original, many centuries hence, will still
be regarded in this capital of the North as a Christian
national treasure, but also that the telitio prinreps of it will
be received as a worthy monument of imperial munificence
by all among whom Christian knowledge obtains."