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A STUFFED BROWN BEAR FROM THE ARCTIC REGIONS, circa 1864, approx 132cms high including wooden base<b

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A STUFFED BROWN BEAR FROM THE ARCTIC REGIONS, circa 1864, approx 132cms high including wooden base<b
A STUFFED BROWN BEAR FROM THE ARCTIC REGIONS, circa 1864, approx 132cms high including wooden base
e800/1,500
The following quote is taken from Sir Henry Gore-Booth's Diary Headed 'the first visit to the Pasvig in Mr Kavanagh's Yacht the Era during 1864'
Dated Monday 21st: We were making a beeline for the camp when we came upon two small ponds where a pair of ducks were swimming. I considered firing at them, one of the Lapps called upon Thomas (Kilgallon). Thomas approached the spot where the Lapp was standing and in his turn called upon me, I put down my rifle and climbed the hillock where they had assembled and together we made a careful scrutiny of the ground before us - there was revealed the fresh track of a bear which evidently had not passed many minutes before, I put in Lassie and she took up the trail briskly, so briskly in fact that one of the Lapps was left behind and the other found the greatest difficulty in keeping up with us. Thomas carried the cartridges and telescope and we proceeded at the run for it was well nigh impossible to keep the dog in sight. Finally Lassie disappeared down the side of a hill and nothing could be seen of her so I sat down in despair believing she had run in, I had been sitting for about four minutes when suddenly Lassie gave short bay bark about 150 yards distant from us, I sprang up Thomas following me and ran down the hill keeping well out of sight and wind of where I judged the dog to be. Of a sudden I observed Lassie at the foot of a hillock, the moment Lassie saw me she bounced up the hill and on reaching the top gave a whisk of her tail racing down hill again at great speed when the bear without any warning appeared on the top of the hill at the identical spot which the dog had so recently occupied. I slithered down the hill a little in order to clear some branches which were obstructing my aim and delivered a bore from the express rifle which pierced the bears lung, breaking two of his ribs. The bear subsided on his tail with a growl when Lassie tore up to where he lay and nipped him by the tail, the bear turned round and tried to reach her but fell over on his back then she attacked him more furiously from behind. The bear kept on striking at Lassie with his fore paws trying to catch hold of her I approached in order to give the bear the coup-de-grace, however I was unable to get a head shot in the general mêlée though choosing my time I shot the bear through the neck. Kilgallon arrived with a little rifle and obtaining my opportunity I finished the bear with a shot through the head. We had tracked this bear for a distance of roughly three miles and we had been obliged to run most of this way. The bear which we skinned where he lay turned out to be an unusually large one and appeared to be a great age.