Rensselaer Union, Volume 1, Number 52, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 September 1869 — Animal Sagacity at the North. [ARTICLE]

Animal Sagacity at the North.

According to the Esquimaux, the seal constructs its habitation beneath the surface of the ice in such a manner that it can enter it from the w^ter. below; here the young seal passes its infancy, and when the returning heat of summer has destroyed its igloo or dwelling, the young seal is bld enough to take care of itself; but this mode of lodging its young beneath the ice is well known to the bear, who with its keen sense soon detects the whereabouts of the seal’s nursery, and in order to gain an entrance, the bear, retiring a. short distance, makes a spring, and comes down with all his weight on the roof of the igloo, crushes it in, and immediately seizes the young seal with its paw. Here It might be supposed the hungry bear at once devours his prey; but no, it is far too wary to do so; it knows full well that where a babe is there must be a mother, and that she will be in search of her darling, therefore the bear scrapes away the snow from' the seal holo, and holding the young seal by the flipper, allows it to flounder about, and When the mother approaches, the bear slyly draws the young seal towards it until the old one is within reach, when he seizes her with the other paw, and thus captures both. The mode in which the bear captures the seal on the ice is very similar to that followed by the Esquimaux. When at a distance firom the seal, the bear throws itself down and stealthily crawls or hitches along towards the seal, and if the seal looks up it lies perfectly still and makes at the same time a noise which lulls the seal; the bear repeats the operation until it approaches its victim so near that es cape is impossible, when it falls a prey to Bruin’s ap petit J. Another mode of obtaining food by the bear is to watch from a cliff the movements of the walrus, who are fond of sunning themselves on the rocks, and when one of these has taken, up a convenient position for the bear’s purpose, the latter lifts a large piece of rock, and, with astonishing accuracy, throws it dow mon the animal's head. If the walrus is only stunned, the bear runs down, and with the rock hammers its victim on the head until, jt is dead. When attempting "to capfuri a'seal hrwater, the bqar sinks his body beneath the surface of the sea, leaving only the head above water, which resembles a piece of floating ice; when.tb& seal rajsep ita head above the surfece,. Bruin<qufetiy sinks, and swimming under the seal seizes it.