of the cavern being thus closed, the hunter bores a hole through the top, and spears, with the greatest security, his defenceless foe.*

They are sometimes cruel enough to lay a board driven full of iron hooks, in the Bear's track, and place near it something heavy, that the animal must throw down as he passes. Alarmed by this, he runs upon the board with greater force than he would otherwise do; and, finding one of his paws wounded, and fixed by the hooks, he endeavours to free himself, by striking it forcibly with the other. Both the paws of the poor animal being now fixed, bellowing with pain, he rises on his hind feet, which immediately brings the board before his eyes, and so perplexes him, that he throws himself down in fury, and his violent struggles at length destroy him.

It would be difficult to name a species of animals, if we except the Sheep, so variously serviceable to man, as the Bear, after his death, is to the Kamtschadales. Of the skin, they make beds, covertures, caps, and gloves, and collars for their sledge-dogs. Those who go upon the ice for the capture of marine animals, make their shoe-soals of the same, which never slip upon the ice. The fat of the Bear is held in great estimation by all the

* A method nearly similar is practised by some of the North Ame ́ ́rican Indians, with the Bears of that country. They block up the dens with logs of wood, and then break in at the top, and either kill the animal with a spear or gun; or else put a snare about his neck, and, drawing his head close to the hole, dispatch him with their hatchets. -Hearne, 370.

and

inhabitants of Kamtschatka, as a very savory wholesome nourishment; and, when rendered fluid, by melting, it supplies the place of oil. The flesh is esteemed a great delicacy. The intestines, when cleansed, and properly scraped, are worn by the fair sex, as masks to preserve their faces from the effects of the sun-beams; which here, being reflected from the snow, are generally found to blacken the skin; but, by this means, the Kamtschadale ladies preserve a fine complexion. The Russians of Kamtschatka make window-panes of these intestines, which are as clear and transparent as those made of Muscovy-glass. Of theshoulder-blades, are made sickles for cutting grass, and the heads and haunches are hung up by these people, as ornaments or trophies, on the trees about their dwellings.*

The Kamtschadales also acknowledge infinite obligations to the Bears, for the little progress they have hitherto made, as well in the sciences, as even in the polite arts. They confess themselves indebted to these animals for all their knowledge in physic and surgery: by observing what herbs they have applied to the wounds they have received, and what methods they have pursued, when they were languid, and out of order, this people have acquired a knowledge of most of those simples, which they now have recourse to, either as external or internal applications. But the most singular circumstance of all is, that they admit the Bears

* Tooke's View of the Russian Empire.

to be their dancing-masters; and, in what they call the Bear-dance, every gesture and attitude of that animal is so faithfully exhibited, as to afford sufficient indications of this. They represent its sluggish and stupid gait; its different feelings and situations, as the young ones about their dam, the amorous sports of the male with the female, and its agitation, when pursued. The tune to one of these dances, we shall insert ;-this is always sung by the dancers, and to a jumble of words, that are frequently devoid of any meaning.

All their other dances are similar to the Beardance, in many particulars, and those attitudes are always thought to come nearest to perfection, which most resemble the motions of the Bear.*

If the uses of the Bear be so various to the Kamtschadales, not less general is the wear of his fine and warm fur to persons of the higher classes in Russia. A light black Bear-skin, is one of the most comfortable and costly articles in the winter wardrobe of a man of fashion, at Petersburg or Moscow.

Dr. Townson has remarked, in the Hungarian Bear, pretty nearly the same characteristics that we have just noticed in that of Kamtschatka. He

says, that, however savage these animals may be accounted, they seem to be considerably less so than that species of animal, called man; for the Hungarian children go into the woods, and collect the cranberries, &c. which is a depredation on the property of the Bears, who feed on them, without a single occurrence of injury: nor has any person in that country been known to be hurt by them, without having first commenced the attack.

He was informed, by the peasantry of this country, (what, he says, he had often before heard) that when the Bears leave the woods, and come into the corn-fields at night to feed, they draw the standing corn through their fore paws, then rub the detached cars between them, blow away the chaff, and eat the grain.*

Mr. Pennant tells us, that the Bears are very fond of pease; of which they will tear up great quantities, and, beating them out of the shells on some stone or hard spot of ground, cat the grain, and carry off the straw to their dens.

It is well known, that the Bear may, with some little difficulty, be rendered tame and docile; and it has then the appearance of being mild and obe dient to its master; but it is not to be trusted, without the utmost caution. It may be taught to walk upright, to dance, to lay hold of a pole with its paws, and perform various tricks to entertain the multitude, who are highly pleased with the awkward measures of this rugged animal, which it seems to

* Townson, 391.

suit to the sound of an instrument, or to the voice of its leader. But, to give the Bear this kind of education, it is necessary to have it taken young, and to accustom it early to restraint and discipline. An old Bear will suffer no restraint without discovering the most furious resentment; neither the voice nor the menaces of his keeper have any effect upon him; he equally growls at the hand that is held out to feed, and at that which is raised to correct him.

The excessive cruelties practised on this poor animal in teaching it to walk erect, and to regulate its motions to the sound of the pipe, are such as make sensibility shudder. Its eyes are frequently put out; and an iron ring being passed through the cartilage of the nose, to lead it by, it is kept from food, and beaten till it yields obedience to the will of its savage tutors. Some of them are taught to perform, by setting their feet upon heated iron plates, and then playing to them, whilst in this uneasy situation. It is truly shocking to every feeling mind, to reflect that such cruelties should be exercised upon any part of the brute creation by our fellow-men. That they should be rewarded by numbers of unthinking people, who crowd around to see the animal's rude attempts to imitate human actions, is not to be wondered at: but it is much to be wished that the timely interference of the magistrate would prevent every exhibition of the kind; that in England, at least, we might not be reproached with tolerating practices so disgraceful to