The animals seen at Port Bowen may now be briefly noticed.  The principal of these seen during the winter were bears, of which we killed twelve from October to June, being more than during all the other voyages taken together; and several others were seen.  One of these animals was near proving fatal to a seaman of the Fury, who, having straggled from his companions, when at the top of a high hill saw a large bear coming towards him.  Being unarmed, he prudently made off, taking off his boots to enable him to run the faster, but not so prudently precipitated himself over an almost perpendicular cliff, down which he was said to have rolled or fallen several hundred feet; here he was met by some of the people in so lacerated a condition as to be in a very dangerous state for some time after.

A she-bear, killed in the open water on our first arrival at Port Bowen, afforded a striking instance of maternal affection in her anxiety to save her two cubs.  She might herself easily have escaped the boat, but would not forsake her young, which she was actually “towing” off, by allowing them to rest on her back, when the boat came near them.  A second similar instance occurred in the spring, when two cubs having got down into a large crack in the ice, their mother placed herself before them, so as to secure them from the attacks of our people, which she might easily have avoided herself.

One or two foxes (Canis Lagopus) were killed, and four caught in traps during the winter, weighing from four pounds and three quarters to three pounds and three quarters.  The colour of one of these animals, which lived for some time on board the Fury, and became tolerably tame, was nearly pure white till the month of May, when he shed his winter coat, and became of a dirty chocolate colour, with two or three light brown spots.  Only three hares (Lepus Variabilis) were killed from October to June, weighing from six to eight pounds and three quarters.  Their fur was extremely thick, soft, and of the most beautiful whiteness imaginable.  We saw no deer near Port Bowen at any season, neither were we visited by their enemies the wolves.  A single ermine and a few mice (Mus Hudsonius) complete, I believe, our scanty list of quadrupeds at this desolate and unproductive place.

Towards the end of June, the dovekies (Colymbus Grylle) were extremely numerous in the cracks of the ice at the entrance of Port Bowen; and as these were the only fresh supply of any consequence that we were able to procure at this unproductive place, we were glad to permit the men to go out occasionally with guns, after the ships were ready for sea, to obtain for their messes this wholesome change of diet; while such excursions also contributed essentially to their general health and cheerfulness.  Many hundreds of these birds were thus obtained in the course of a few days.  On the evening of the 6th of July, however, I was greatly shocked at being informed