Blackbear 1083 



every clear stream is teeming. And those of the east find a 

 corresponding, though smaller, supply in the suckers and other 

 swimming spawners. 



Berries, now, begin to ripen, and furnish another bountiful 

 resource. Strawberries, blackberries, and raspberries allure 

 the Bear from other foods, and strike an equitable bargain for 

 their gifts. In return for their delicious pulp, the Bears scatter 

 excrementally the unimpaired seeds of these fruits, and thus sow 

 the waste places near and far. Consequently, when the condi- 

 tions become at all favourable, there is an abundant supply of 

 berry seed to take advantage of the opportunity. Thus a 

 region devastated by fire is immediately and unwittingly sown 

 with berry seeds by the Bears, who, however unconscious they 

 may be of their share in the planting, are not slow to come and 

 glean their own harvest. 



A pleasing variation of late summer foods is found in the 

 nests of several species of wasps, as well as of wild bees. 



According to Merriam,'' the Bear "digs out the nests of 

 the 'yellow-jackets,' devouring both the wasps themselves and 

 the comb containing their honey and grubs. So fond is he of 

 honey that he never misses an opportunity to rob a 'bee tree,' 

 manifesting no fear of the bees that angrily swarm about him, 

 his thick hair and tough hide protecting him from their stings. 

 When plundering the apple orchard he is said to touch only the 

 sweetest fruit." 



Similar testimony is given by Captain J. P. McCown,'' 

 who observed the Blackbear in Tennessee. 



On September 21, 1905, at Lake Caughnawana, 40 miles 

 east of Kippewa, Quebec, I found that a Bear I was tracking 

 had stopped at a rotten log to dig out a wasp's nest a few 

 minutes before; the comb, in pieces, was scattered about, and 

 a number of the yellow-jackets hovered angrily over the ruins 

 of their home. 



On the upper Red River, in 1800, when Blackbears 

 abounded, Henry writes," September 22: 



^ Ibid., prp. 95-6. " Aud. & Bach., 1849, Vol. Ill, p. 195. 



" Journal, 1897, p. loi. 



