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Show 654 MR. W. H. NEALE ON THE NATURAL [NoT. 14, Kittiwake (Rissa triclactyla). Boatswain (Pomatorhine Skua) (Lestris sp. inc.). Arctic Tern (Sterna hirundo). Eider Duck (Somateria mollissima). Brent Goose (Bernicla brenta). Rain-Goose ( Colymbus septentrionalis). Snow-Bunting (Plectrophanes nivalis). Snowy Owl (Nyctea scandiaca). Sanderling (Calidris arenaria). Snipe (Gallinago sp. inc.). Redpole (Linota sp. inc.). These two species I cannot be certain about; no specimen was obtained ; but some of the old whaling hands called certain birds on the land by these names. Falcon (Falco candicans). We were very fortunate in getting a good number of Bears ( Ursus maritimus). During the winter months we saw, as a rule, two a week, except in December, when we only saw one or two, and did not manage to shoot any. Bears were constantly prowling about the edge of the ground-ice, and if they got scent of the house, would walk right up to the porch if they did not see any one. From September to June we shot 34 Bears : the greater number of them were males; and some were very large ; one measured 11 feet from the root of the tail to the nose. Female Bears were never obtained during the dark days. On examining the contents of the stomach, we often found nothing but grass ; in the spring, however, they generally had been feeding on seals, and more than once we obtained a good bucketful of oil for cooking-purposes out of a Bear's stomach. Once a Bear had eaten a large piece of canvas which had been blown some distance from the house; he then came up and commenced to eat our blubber, but was soon shot. On February 20th a Bear was seen about 400 feet up the hill at the back of our hut; some hands went up with a rifle, but could not get a shot, as the Bear retired into its hole, and refused to come out. For some days the Bear remained up the hill, and was seen at times out of its hole. March 1st was the last time it was noticed; and a day or two after the footmarks of an old Bear and a cub were seen on the lowland some 300 yards to the eastward of the hut, but could not be traced up the hill towards the hole. W e never saw a cub during 1882; but in August 1881 we caught a cub about as large as an ordinary retriever, and had it in a cask when the ship was lost. The following is a copy of our Game List. { 6 Bears. 16 Walrus. 1660 Looms. r. , , 5 Bears. 0 c t o b e r " 1 5 Walrus. |