he skins of all three on
their own account--proposed returning to effect their destruction; and
in this proposal they were backed by Pouchskin, who had a natural
antipathy to all bears.

It ended in the killing of the dam, and the capturing of her cubs alive;
for, encumbered as the old she was with her offspring, she was soon
overtaken, and fell an easy victim to the volley of bullets that were
poured into her from all sides at once.

With the skins of the old bears, and the cubs tied in the bottom of the
canoe, our hunters started back down stream; but they had scarce parted
from the place, before the ravenous wolves returned--not only to devour
the carcases of the bears, but also those of their own comrades that had
fallen in the encounter!

CHAPTER FORTY SIX.

THE BARREN GROUNDS.

The "Barren Ground bear" was next to be sought for; but to reach the
haunts of this animal, a long and toilsome journey must be made. That
tract of the Hudson's Bay territory known as the "Barren Grounds,"
extends from the shores of the Arctic Sea as far south as the latitude
of the Churchill river; bounded eastward by Hudson's Bay itself, and
westward by a chain of lakes, of which the Great Slave and Athapescow
are the principal.

This immense territory is almost unexplored to the present hour. Even
the Hudson's Bay trappers have a very imperfect knowledge of it. It has
been crossed in one or two places, and skirted by exploring parties, but
it is still almost a _terra ignota_, except to the four or five tribes
of Indians who dwell around its borders, and the Esquimaux, who venture
a little way into it along the coast of the Arctic Sea.

Before proceeding to hunt the Barren Ground bear, let us say a word
about his species. By writers, both old and modern, he has been
variously classed. Even the ablest naturalist who has written about him
is puzzled as to his species. We speak of Sir John Richardson, the
companion of the lamented Franklin, and himself one of the great men of
the earth. Sir John first regarded this bear, though very doubtfully,
as a variety of the _ursus americanus_, or American black bear. Later
observations influenced him to change this opinion; and again with
modest doubtfulness--characteristic of the man--he suggests his being a
variety of the _ursus arctos_.

We shall make bold to affirm that he is a variety of neither; but a
distinct species of bear.

We shall give our reasons--and first, as to