Ii.
THE POLAR BEAR.

Thalassarctos Martitimus.

Much uncertainty prevails respecting the
generic classification of the bears. Wallace
has divided them into five genera or sub-
genera, and fifteen species. Wood gives
eighteen, and Gray says twelve. The ap-
pearance of the bear at different seasons
has led to much error in classification. The
practical mountaineer will tell you of some
three or four species in California that have
been given notice of as the young of an-
other species, or that have never been men-
tioned by the learned gentlemen who usual-
ly study bear life in the seclusion of a li-
brary or with the help of a strong field tel-
escope. A glance at the teeth of the bear
will tell you that they incline rather to the
vegetable diet. Their ferocity is almost al-

ways exaggerated. Their courage is des-
242