THE REASON WHY : 



' Thoy have tied me to a stake ; I cannot fly ; 

 But, bear-like, 1 must fight my course." SHAKSPEHK 



236. From these peculiarities of formation, we are apt to imagine that the beat 

 walks with pain and difficulty. Such, however, is not the case. The broad base 

 which the foot of the bear forms enables it to walk very securely, even in difficult 

 paths ; its progress is more rapid than we could suppose, and the firmness with 

 which it can stand on the flat soles of its hind feet, enables it to use the fore paws 

 in grasping. The want of clavicles enables it to grasp and hug between the fore 

 legs much more powerfully than could ba performed by a clavicle;! animal ; and this 

 power is of great service to it, not only in climbing, an operation to which it must 

 often have recourse for its food, but in hugging its enemies, which it does so 

 intensely, that a strong animal is in their grasp strangled by compression of the 

 chest. Climbing is, however, the proper function of the want of clavicles, and 

 climbing by grasping the bole of the tree between the paws, and not by grasping 

 with the single paws as monkeys do. And this mods of climbing answers remark- 

 ably well in those places where bears most abound. Pine forests are its haunts, 

 and where pines grow closely together, they have no lateral branches till a 

 considerable height from the ground. Such trees could not easily be climbed by 

 animals which grasped out with the hands. 



237. Why are, bears able to live uninjured in exposed places? 

 Because they possess a coat of almost impenetrable thickness, 



and have also a quantity of fat accumulated under it. These 

 protections prevent the temperature from sinking, and prevent 

 them from feeling the cold and other effects of the elements. 



238. Why is a bear enabled to stand in an upright position, 

 and to hug objects with his fore-paws ? 



Because he possesses a more perfectly developed collar-bone than 

 most animals ; the office of this bone being to keep the shoulders 

 apart from the chest, and to throw the action of the muscles 

 proceeding from the ribs upon the arm bone, which, with a very 

 imperfectly formed collar-bone, would be drawn inwards, and 

 contract the upper part of the trunk. 



239. Why is it a vulgar prejudice against badgers, that thcg 

 burrow into graves, and devour the bodies of the dead ? 



This vulgar error arises from the burrowing habits of the badger, 

 coupled with its peculiarly offensive odour. Badgers, however, 

 burrow, not for the purpose of eating, but to obtain a place of 

 shelter and safe retreat. Their food consists only of those creatures 

 Mhich come out to feed during the night, such as snails, worms, 

 *nd other nocturnal creatures. 



