1084 Life-histories of Northern Animals 



"Bears make prodigious ravages in the brush and willows. 

 The plum-trees are torn to pieces, and every tree that bears 

 fruit has shared the same fate; the tops of the oaks are also 

 very roughly handled, broken, and torn down to get the acorns. 

 The havoc they commit is astounding; their dung lies about 

 in the woods as plentiful as that of the Buffalo in the meadow." 



Autumn arriving with its showers of beechnuts, acorns, 

 and other such food, gives all wild creatures a notable chance to 

 gather for the coming cold. All work hard to profit by the 

 opportunity, storing inside their skins or dens as their custom 

 may be, and none work harder or more successfully than the 

 Bear. 



It labours without ceasing till nature comes with the 

 snow-clouds and abnormally ends the feast by spreading the 

 white cloth. 



But the Bear has no notion of quitting the delights of 

 active life for the dull monotony of a winter's sleep any sooner 

 than possible, and, roaming still in search of food, is often led 

 into mischief, killing on such occasions calves and sheep in the 

 field or even pigs in the sty. 



At such times it has even been guilty of cannibalism. 

 George Crawford (Mittigwab), an Indian of Kippewa, told 

 me of a case that he observed on the Upper Ottawa, about 

 1890. He tracked a very big Bear in the snow to where it had 

 hunted out another that was already denned up, and had 

 devoured it all but the jaws. The big fellow had feasted for 

 two days, sleeping in the den of the victim, and coming out only 

 to eat or else to drop dung, of which there was an immense 

 quantity outside. 



Colder weather, deeper snow, and scarcer food at length 

 unite in peremptory order to the Bears — *Go now and den for 

 a time.' First to obey are the females, that must have a good 

 abode suitable for nursery, rather than a mere storm-break; 

 last the males, that are content to rough it, and by being late 

 to bed and early to rise, get that much more out of life. When 

 the Winter King is reigning supreme, there is no evidence of 

 such a thing as a Blackbear in the woods. 



