irARS AND POSSUMS 



379 



him is al)oiit as barbarous a sport as exists out of the 

 country of lUill iightiiig. J^'.veu if the J^ear lias done 

 evil things and you do not care for him, it is cruel to 

 urge spiritetl dogs within reach of his teeth and claws, 

 for Bruin is courageous when brought to bay and sells 

 his life dearly. 



" The Jilack Bear is ranked witli ilesli-eaters, but lie 

 should have an order all to himself, to be called, 'The 

 Order of (Tluttony,' for he is ready to eat anything at 

 any time, — Hsh, liesh, game, poultr}^ turtles' eggs, frogs, 

 fruits, and berries, all mixed together with as much honey 

 in the comb and out of it as he can scoop from hollow 

 trees, in spite of the pointed remonstrance of hordes of 

 angry bees. Honey failing, he will sit in a cherry tree 

 and gobble until you would expect to hear the cherry 

 stones rattling about inside him. 



Black Beau. 



