1076 Life-histories of Northern Animals 



light, walked right into a Blackbear that did not know I was 

 near, simply because I had the wind. 



A MIS- 

 CHIEF 

 MAKER 



Many tales are told of Bear depredations in western 

 camps during the absence of the owners — depredations in 

 which hunger had no incentive part. Merriam gives-' one 



that occurred in the Adiron- 

 dacks at the Government Sur- 

 vey Camp in 1882: 



"Returning one day, after 

 a temporary absence, the mem- 

 bers of the party were aston- 

 ished to find their tent torn 

 down, and blankets, books, and 

 instruments strewn about upon 

 the ground. The foot-prints of 

 a Bear revealed the identity of 

 the marauder, and Mr. Colvin, 

 Superintendent of the Survey, 

 afterwards fired at and wounded 

 the beast, but did not succeed 

 in capturing him." 



J. Blackwell, of Tacoma 

 Hotel, Seattle, told me that for 

 long they kept a pet Bear cub that developed an extraordinary 

 love of mischief. Whenever he could break away he left a trail 

 of destruction behind. His wickedest exploit, the one which 

 finally turned the women against him, and of course ended in 

 his ruin, was entering a house while the family was away and 

 deliberately seeking out and tearing to shreds all the bonnets 

 in the wardrobe. He would face and fight anything but the 

 unknown. And the only thing that seemed unknown to him 

 was a wheelbarrow. A small boy could drive him anywhere 

 with a wheelbarrow. 



Another old Bear that he had was very savage; no one, not 

 even the keeper, dared venture within the radius of the chain. 



" Mam. Adir., 1884, p. 103. 



Fig. 245 — Bear poses. 



