Star.
London, England, 1824-04-29 00:00:00

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NATURAL 1118Tbitt'. '-^
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The following particulars are a farther extract froth
Captain Parr}.'s Second Voyage:
" As a proof of the difficulty which the hares must
find in obtaining subsistence during the winter, these
animals were at this time in the habit of coming along-
side the ships upon the ice, to pick •ap what they could
from our rubbish heaps. A fox or two still entered the
traps occasionally; and our gentlemen infoiitied. me
that they had always been Most successful in' catching
them after a southerly Wind,_which they attributed with
great probability to the smell of the ships being thus
snore extensively communicated over the island. One
or two of these poor creatures hadn found in the
traps with their tongues almost bitten two. The traps
made use of' for Catching these beautiful little animals
were formed of a small cask, having a sliding door like
that of a common mouse-trap, and were baited, with
died meat or blubber. The whole number caught
duiing the winter was between eighty and ninety, of
which more than seventy were taken before the end of
December. In • single trap of Captain Lyons, no less
than fifteen Were caught in the course of four hours, on
the night of the gfith of November ; and the people en-
laged in watching the trap remarked,. that no sooner
hid one of these animals been taken out, and they thein-
silies retired a few yards, than another entered it. - --EIO
stupid indeed are they in this respect,. that in several in-'
stances, those which had escaped from the ships en-
tered, and were re-caught in the same traps as before.
" Of a great number' of foxes weighed by Captain
Lron during the winter, the average weight was eight
pounds, but they varied from nine and a half to seven,
and he observed that the males, thOugh larger thin the
females, were not so fat. The fur of the whole of them
Wien first caught was of the purest white, except in'
tivo or three individuali of a blots') colour, which ap.
pealed to be of a. different species. The great variety
of dispositions displayed by those which were kept for.
tattling was Very remarkable, some being gentle and
quiet frOm the time of their first coming on. board, and
others remaining wild and intractable in spite of every
kindness andgood treatthent. Our dogs became fami-
liar enough even tO'pliystrith them ; but the foies were,
on their part, never entirely free from apprehension on
this account: The noise they make when irritated is a
vleak half-stified sort of bark, but they have also a more
shrill and piercing cry when much frightened. When
placed with their houses upon the ice, they were con.
stantly endeavOuring to burrow in the snow within the
circle of_their chains, and one of them, where the snow
Lit deeper thin Usual, stioti formed for himself a secure
and sheltered apartment ritdder it. When deprived of
the means of doing this, they- are far from being proof
against' the severity of the seaiinikfoit two oi three died
on board the For y entirely' from. this' catise4Altitigh Id.
nislieci with gOod kennel's. Of tho'se' Which Were Cal?en
better care of; nil One remained on'' board'ative when
we went to sea, the greater part having gradualli Wasted
away, though well &Sand hOrised; and the rest, which
were thriving better, made their escape to, the shore."
In February, the first.wolves, a flock of thirteen (all
of which were killed gradating appeared-6, These ani-
mals had accompanied or closely followed the Esqui.
maul on their journey to the island the preceding day;
and they proved to us the most troublesome part of
tbeir suite. They so much resemble the Esquimaus
dogs, that, had it not been for some doubt among the
officers-who had seen them whether they were so or not,
and the consequent fear of doing these poor people an
ifteparable inj.nry, see might have killed most of thesis
the same evening, for they carne boldly to 'lda for food'
within a few yards of the Fury, and remained there for
some time.". .
After a short period, 6g The wolves had now begun
to do us some damage ; for not even the sails that were
fastened round the house and observatory could escape
their ravenous fangs, and they had-thus, in the course
of.a single night, much injured two of our studding.
sails. We set traps for them on the ice; and also large
shark-hooks, secured with chains and baited with meat;
but the former they entered and destroyed, and the lat-
ter were always found broken or bent, without securing
the depredators. These animals were indeed so hungry
and fearless as to take away some of the Esquimau: dogs
iq.a snow-honse near the Hecla's stern, though the .zisen
were at the same time Withini few cards of-them
~" A wolf being caught in one of the traps this even-
ing, Which was so close as to be easily watched frOns
the ship, a party of the officers ran out to secure the
depredator, and fired tivo.balls into the trap at once to
dispatch him., Finding after this that be continued
, to
a sword thai ,1411. thrust in, a third shot was fired
at him. The trap .was itied sufficiently opened to get
his hind legs grmii tied. together, after which, being
considered tolerably secure, he was pulled out of the
traph which, however, his head had scarcely cleared;
when he furiously flew at Mr. Richards' throat, and
woutd certainly have done him some serious mischief,
had not that Gentlemih, with great presence of mind,
seized the animal in his turn by the throat, squeezing
him with all his force between both hands.- This made
the wolf relinquish his first attempt, and Mr. Richards
only suffered by a bite id his arm, .and another in his
knee, Which, on ace-clunk of the thickness of his clothes,
were happily not severe ones. As fur the wolf, he ptu-
dently took to his heels, though two of them were gill
tied together; and being favoured by the momentary
confusion ()easier:led by his late rencontre with Mr.
Richards, succeeded in escaping his pursuers. Ile was
fOtind dead the folloviidg day, at the distance of three-
quarters of a mile from the ships."
On Another otrasiOn, Mr. Elder observing one of the
Ettiiiiinitit dogs attacked by several of these ferocioui
animals, " and hasteping to the spot with his gun,
found that these animals had made such quick work in,
the partition of their prey, that though he reached the
scene of actiOnin a fevi minutes, and the dog had at
first made considerable resistance, only one of its hind
legs remained, each wolf having run off with his share.
It is remarkable that these creatures had never entered
oer trapa'since the moon had declined -to the southward,
4itereas irk it night elapsed before that, without their
fg to them. The Esquimau: bad in their's caught
a fok."

firing. some time past the vigilance of the Police of
tiffs be! been "iliided by robbers, who have broken
4;o4'6Eoos:in the night.. Oa Thprsday evening three
thieves were taken endeavouring to break into a shop in
the isit 'Swim 'Mairitet. Tbey' have been put at the
*AAA Of sihe Proctireutr of Ale lA. This sort of bur-
Oki is ligie cr. rn Metropolis.

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