St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1867-08-30
Life at the North P0Ie.

The bears wandering continually dur
in. the night, must needs have 4 hard
struggle 10 live. During the summer.
the seals who furnish their only subSi>-
fence, crawl up on the ice. and are there
easily caught but in the winter they
only resort 10 the cracks 10 breath, and
in dong 80, barely put their noses above
wafer, 50 that ihCy ale captured Will
difficulty. Driven 10 desperation. ly
hunger, the bears Will sometimes invade
the hauntS of men, Ia search of food
which their quick sens. las detected
had an adventure. about thiS time.
which shows that the Polar bear i not
50 tcrociou> as l. generally supposed, IN
deed they have never been known 10 AZ
tack man.eNoept when holly pursued and
driven 10 close quarters. Slrollin- one
DAG. along thc shore. observed with IN
iere>i. the effects Of the recent spring
tides upon the ice-fooi. when rounding a
point of lard. | sallyllly .ounl myself
confronted IN tie FAINT moonlight by AN
enormous bear. lie had Just sprung
down from the landice, anl WAS meeting
NE al 4 full frOi We caught >i-llt ui
each other al the same instant. Being
without 4 rife or other means OF defense.
L wheeled suddenly toward lhe ship.
with, | fancy. much lie Sasae reflections
about discretion ma yalor n ihosr
which crossed the mind Of oil Jack Fal-
staff when the Douglass SCI upon him 4;
bui finding, after 1 few lengthy strides.
that | was not gobbled up. looked back
over my shoulder, when, a> much 10 my
surprise as qualification, | saw the bear
tearing AWAY toward the open wafer
with a celeriiy which left no doubt Is 10
the state Of his mind | suppose IL
would be difficult 10 determine which WI,
the mosl fri-hiened-ihe bear or l.
HE troops ot foxes about u were
quite tame tout they have been cured of
their familiarity 10y The lessons learned oi
the hunters, and have 10 be approached
with adruitness- Ot both the blue anu
white varieties had living specimens IN
INV cabin These two varieties OF ihe
fox, notwithstanding their many points
Of resemblance, are evidently distinct
species i have not known them tC
mix. the coat ot each preserving lis dis
tinclive hue. that of the blue fox vary
in. merely in distinctive shade, whlt
the white changes only from 4 pur,
white 10 4 Slightly yellowish tinge.
Their skins are much sought after by the
irappers of South Greenland, where thC
animals are rare. foI the fur commands
a fabulous price in the Copenhagen mar
ket-
The tough, nearly hairless hides Of tbs
Great Sea Lions. which are about Al
inch thick, had singularly ironplateC
look about them. peculiarly suggesiiy,
OF defence while their huge iusks, whicl
they brandishcd with an appearance o
strength that their awkwarlncss did no
diminish. looked VERY formidable weap
ons of Otfensc if applied 10 boat : plank
ing OF the human ribs, ii one should
happen 10 find himself floundering in ia,
sea among the thick skinned brutes- T'
complete the hideousnesS of a facial ex
preston which the tusks rendered form
dable enongh in appearance, nature Ina,
endowed them with fat noses, which ST
covered all over with stiff whiskers. look
ing much like porcupine quillS. and ex
tending up TO the edge Of a pair of gap
ping nostril. The use of these whisk
ers Is Is obscure As that OF the tusks
though 1t is probable that the latter ma.
be as well weapons of ofiense and de
fence as well as for the more useful par
pose of grubing up from the bottom o
. the sea the mullocks which constitute
their principal food. There were i've
; old bulls in the herd who aPpeared 4
be dividing there time between sleepin
/ and jamming their tusks into each other
/ faces, although they appeared TO tres
the matter with perfect indifference, a
r they did not seem 10 make any Imp7s: