1074 Life-histories of Northern Animals 



radius — and the little ones grow in size, but usually dwindle 

 in numbers. Accidents will happen, and little Bears get 

 coughs and colds, or disobey their mothers and come to grief. 

 Consequently, while 3 little Bears are often found in the 

 mother's den, rarely more than 2 are seen roaming by her 

 side in summer, and autumn, in many cases, sees the number 

 reduced to i. 



The young, whatever the number, are believed to den up 

 with the mother the following winter, and probably remain 

 with her until the mating season comes with June, and finally 

 the family feeling is dispelled by the newer thought. The 

 young ones scatter, and thenceforth when they meet the mother 

 they are little better than any other stranger. 



THE So far as I can determine, the father Bear takes no interest 



in the young ones. Menagerie keepers have learned, through 

 many disastrous experiences, that the less he is with the cubs 

 the better for them. In the vast majority of cases the mother 

 is the only adult seen abroad with the young. 



On the other hand, there are on record a few cases in 

 which an adult male has been found associated with the mother 

 and little ones, and Miles Spencer, of Fort George, Hudson 

 Bay, after years of exp'erience in that region, backed by 

 the opinions of the native hunters, puts his view on record 

 in this brief sentence: "The male assists in rearing the 

 young."-' 



Disposi- Notwithstanding a widespread idea, the Blackbear cannot 



be called a fierce or dangerous animal. On the contrary, it is 

 one of the shyest and most timid of wild creatures. I have met 

 scores of them in the woods, and, almost without exception, 

 they fled like Rabbits as soon as they knew I was near. 



The exceptions to this rule are: A captive Bear that has, 

 through daily association, lost its fear of man, and, through 

 cruelty, begotten a hate of him; a female whose young are 

 threatened; and finally, a wounded, cornered, crippled, or 



" Low, Expl. James Ray, Can. Geol. Sun'., 1888, Pt. J, App. Ill, p. 78. 



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