United States or Tuvalu ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
First of these is the circumpolar species, Ursus maritimus, the white or polar bear, which most of us grew up to regard as the very incarnation of tenacious ferocity, but which, as it appears from the recitals of late Arctic explorers, dies easily to a single shot, and does not seem to afford much better sport than so much rabbit shooting.
Rich soil, rain, heat, sunshine, stimulate nature to supreme efforts, and there is a luxuriant prodigality of vegetation which leaves nothing uncovered but the golden margin of the sea, and even that above high-water- mark is green with the Convolvulus maritimus. So dense is the wood that Hilo is rather suggested than seen.
To see troops of four associating together is very common; but these are merely the members of one family male, female, and yearling cubs for two is the number of the progeny the grizzly bear in this respect resembling his congener of the ursus maritimus, and differing as essentially from the black and brown bears with whom three is the usual number of cubs at a birth.
In the neighbourhood of York factory, and even further to the south, they might have found bears of this species: for the ursus maritimus extends his wanderings all round the shores of Hudson's Bay though not to those of James' Bay further south.
The enormous size of the old males often weighing 1,000 pounds, and quite equalling the largest individuals of the ursus maritimus renders them easy of identification; though it is certain that under favourable circumstances the ursus arctos often attains to a similar bulk.
They ascertained, moreover, that he was far from being a scarce animal, or an insignificant member of the Bruin family; in point of size, formidable strength, and ferocity of disposition, being only inferior to ursus ferox and maritimus, and in all these qualities quite a match for the ursus arctos.
Morvah has traditions of mermaids, with some idea that its name may be a corruption of the Breton morverch; but we must probably seek some other derivation. Tonkin says the name simply means locus maritimus.
In ferocity of disposition, however, in carnivorous inclination, and in strength and power to carry out his mischievous propensities, no bear, not even the ursus maritimus, appears to be a match for this monster of the Rocky Mountains. The hunter never thinks of attacking him, unless when assisted by a number of his comrades; and even then it may be a fatal encounter for one or more of them.
Word Of The Day