Characteristics and Habits 73 



and not only seemed to want all the various things the 

 hills provided; but would howl lustily if he did not get 

 them. 



The Black Bear, while not much of a traveller, wan- 

 ders over a fairly wide range in search of various foods 

 in their season; yet, broadly speaking, is pretty apt to 

 live and die in the general neighborhood of its birth. 

 They wander both day and night, although when they 

 are in a region where grizzlies are also to be found they 

 are careful to disappear about the time that the latter, 

 which are much more nocturnal in habit, may be ex- 

 pected to come out. When a Black Bear has young 

 cubs she will stay for a week or two at a time in one 

 place, and will scratch a nest or bed among the leaves 

 or in a thicket and lie up there between feeds with 

 her youngsters. 



There are few things more interesting than to watch 

 a bear with her cubs when she thinks herself alone. 

 They are the gayest and most playful little balls of 

 fur, and she will let them maul her and worry her and 

 pretend to fight her. But a Black Bear does not, 

 as the grizzly does, talk to her cubs all the time. A 

 grizzly will walk along through the woods with two or 

 three cubs carrying on what appears to be a connected 

 conversation. She grunts and whines and makes 

 noises at them that sound as though they were full of 

 advice and admonition. They are doubtless merely 

 encouragement or assurances of her presence. But 



