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170 THE MUSEUM.
the true tiger of Europe. There was another
animal, interesting from its history —
a dog belonging to the convent of St. Bernard,
that had saved, at different times,
the lives of forty travellers ; when it grew
too old for service, it was sent to Berne,
but died soon afterwards. Among the birds
were a pelican from the Lake of Constance,
and a flamingo from the Lake o f Morat.
The lemmer-geyer, or lamb-destroyer, the
largest of all birds of prey on the old continent,
is from nine to ten feet between the
end of the wings, when spread o u t : the
head and beak resemble in shape that of
the vulture, with long hairs or bristles on
the b e a k ; its other characters are similar
to the eagle, and it feeds on live prey. As
this bird breeds only in the higher Alps, in
situations utterly inaccessible, it will probably
long remain an inhabitant o f Europe.
In the dry fosse of the trenches at Berne,
several of the rare living animals of Switzerland
are also k e p t ; they have considerable
space for exercise: nor must I omit
the guardian genii of the republic, the long
celebrated bears. A paved court, and cells
in the trenches, are appropriated to their
service; and they do credit to their hosts, for
BEARS OF BERNE. 171
they are the fattest bears I have ever seen.
I heard the following anecdote’of one of the
bears of Berne from M. De Candolle, in
his public lectures at Geneva : “ In a very
severe winter, when provisions were also
scarce, a little Savoyard chimney sweeper,
houseless and friendless, was reduced to
the extreme of misery ; when recollecting
the cell of the bear, he resolved to beg that
shelter from the beast, which was denied
him by man. He climbed down the wall
o f the trenches, entered the cell, and crept
close to his shaggy companion for w arm th ;
the bear received him kindly, and seemed
much pleased with his company. During
a great part of the winter, the boy paid his
nightly visit to his warm-coated friend,
who even suffered him to partake of his
vegetable diet. The thing was at length
discovered ; and the humanity of the inhabitants
was awakened by the singularity of
the circumstance, to provide a more suitable
bed for the little chimney-sweeper.”
Going from Berne to Thoun, we saw
everywhere the land in a good state of cultivation
; substantial farm-houses, fine cattle,
and stout industrious inhabitants. The
women, in the costume of the country, with
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