152 TRUE BEAR STORIES.

‘brounie’ and sometimes the ‘farmer,’ from
its very agricultural appearance as it stalks
leisurely over the furrowed fields of ice. Its
principal food consists of seals, which it
persecutes most indefatigably; but it is
somewhat omniverous in its diet, and will
often clear an islet of eider duck eggs in
the course of a few hours. I once saw it
watch a seal for half a day, the seal con-
tinually escaping, just as the bear was
about putting his foot on it, at the atluk
(or escape hole) in the ice. Finally, it tried
to circumvent its prey in another maneu-
ver. It swam off to a distance, and when
the seai was again half asleep at its atluk,
the bear swam under the ice, with a view
to cut off its retreat. It failed, however,
and the seal finally escaped. The rage of
the animal was boundless; it moaned hide-
ously, tossing the snow in the air, and at
last trotted off in a most indignant state
of mind.

“Being so fond of seal-flesh, the Polar
bear often proves a great nuisance to seal-