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TEE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTELY.— SUPPLEMENT. 



paws to the yard, when the hot contents, over- 

 flowing on his bosom, provoked him to cast it on 

 the ground and flatten it with a stroke of his paw. 

 He would also, when opportunity occurred, smug- 

 gle himself into the larder (a detached building), 

 looking round first to see that he was not ob- 

 served, then bring out some article, especially a 

 cheese, which he found convenient to carry ; but 

 on one occasion he made free with a tub of clouted 

 milk and cream, handling it, however, so awk- 

 wardly that the ropy tenacious contents streamed 

 down the front of his erected corpus, and, as in 

 the case of the coffee-pan, brought vengeance on 

 the tub. After fruitless endeavors, with tongue 

 and claws, to clear the viscous mass from his best 

 fur coat, he betook himself to the river, and then 

 solaced himself with a swing. 



This partiality for swinging or rocking ren- 

 dered him an undesirable companion in a boat ; 

 yet he constantly followed his owner to the river- 

 side, and, if not admitted as a passenger, would 

 swim after the boat, grunting like a hog. During 

 one river-excursion which he had been allowed 

 to share he enjoyed as usual his rocking, till the 

 boat, gliding down the river, entered a stormy 

 rapid, when he became quite agitated with fear, 

 trembling in every limb, and holding on each side 

 of the boat so long as it remained in the welter- 

 ing force. When indulged with a ride by land, 

 he would sometimes leap on the shafts of the 

 vehicle, and, placing a hind-leg on each, rest his 

 fore-paws on the horse's back. 



As he grew older it was found necessary to 

 impose some check upon his movements, and for 

 this purpose a chain, with a log at the end of it, 

 was attached to a collar round his neck. Such 

 badge of servitude and interference with the lib- 

 erty of a free-born bear was not to be borne. At 

 first he tried to strike off the log with his paws ; 

 then he dragged it to the river, but was vastly 

 irritated to find that, after every attempt to sink 

 it, the audacious log came to the surface again. 

 Finally he dug a hole, put the log into it, and re- 



placed the earth, stamping or pressing it down ; 

 then, apparently satisfied with his work, he at- 

 tempted to move off, but found himself in a worse 

 fix than before ; however, after sundry curvets 

 and angry jerks, the chain broke, and he re- 

 gained his freedom, leaving his incumbrance in 

 the grave. 



In concluding his ursine anecdotes my Swed- 

 ish friend remarked : " These are but a few of 

 Bruin's traits and droll tricks, which must be 

 seen to be fully enjoyed. At present he lies 

 quietly in his winter lair, but imagine his humor 

 when he leaves it in spring ; he is then no agree- 

 able companion, especially for the kitchen-maids, 

 toward whom, and the fair sex in general, he 

 shows the greatest disregard." 



Poor Bruin ! he must indeed have got up on 

 the wrong side of the bed, for he became so un- 

 bearably troublesome and subject to such angry 

 moods, that, as I afterward learned, at the early 

 age of about three years he was doomed to death 

 and executed accordingly. 



Another young bear, captured in the winter 

 of 1869, was kept for about two years at Eksha- 

 rad, in Wermland ; but as it grew older it became 

 dangerously ferocious, and consequently was also 

 shot. A tame bear, kept at Sno-an, had acciden- 

 tally one Saturday evening got locked up in the 

 smithy, and, not liking to remain in a workshop 

 on a Sunday, attempted to escape through an 

 opening in the roof. But to reach this Bruin 

 had to clamber upon a lever, which, under the 

 pressure of his weight, opened the sluice-gate, 

 and, turning the water upon the wheel, set the 

 great hammer to work. Evidently annoyed by 

 its persistent motion and noise, he appears to 

 have grasped the hammer in his paws with in- 

 tent to stop it; but the contest proved beyond 

 his strength, for the neighbors, hearing loud roars, 

 hastened to the smithy and found him lying upon 

 the anvil, having received a death-blow before 



their arrival. 



— Science Gossip. 



