110 NEIGHBORS WITH CLAWS AND HOOFS. 



of iron ; and again lie is " the old man in the fur cloak." 

 In Lapland the bear is the " dog of God," and among the 

 peasants of the South he is mild and friendly, " the 

 honey-finder." Science finds the " Great Bear" the most 

 majestic object of the northern heavens, making its 

 nightly march around the pole. 



2. The good qualities of the bear, and the amiable 

 side of his character, are represented in the stories which 

 have become classic in children's literature. In " Beauty 

 and the Beast," the terrible-appearing monster who took 

 such excellent care of Beauty, and was so generous to her 

 family, was a bear. Then there is the delightful story of 

 "Snow-White and Kose-Eed." The bear, hungry and 

 cold, knocked at the door of the cottage on a wintry 

 night, and was admitted by the kindly little girls. He 

 was treated to a supper and a warm bed by the fireside, 

 and became a welcome guest until spring. Afterward, 

 when his two little friends were in distress and persecuted 

 by an ill-tempered and malicious dwarf, the bear made 

 his appearance at just the right moment, and with one 

 blow of his paw put an end to the spiteful little manikin 

 and his persecutions. 



3. From very ancient times tame bears have been led 

 over the country, until their awkward appearance and 

 gait have become familiar. This has led to the idea that 

 the bear is stupid as well as clumsy, and in story he is 

 often made the victim of more crafty animals, especially 

 the fox. This is well illustrated in the following : 



WHY THE BEAR HAS A STUMPY TAIL. 



4. One day the bear met the fox, who came creeping 

 along with a string of fish he had stolen. "Whence did 

 you get those from ? " asked the bear. " O my Lord 

 Brain, I've been out fishing and caught them," said the 



