A WINTER IN THE WILDERNESS 121 



with a torch, and found the animal curled up in a 

 corner, on a bed of leaves and vine-twigs, evidently torn 

 from the rocks outside by the bear, and brought here for 

 the purpose. It gave no signs of life, and it could not be 

 perceived that it was breathing. It was lying just like a 

 huge dog, with its snout turned toward the tail. The 

 muzzle of a Minie rifle was placed to its head, and with 

 one shot its brains were blown out. It uttered no sound, 

 but turned instantly on its side and stretched out. Thus 

 easily was it slain ; but I was sorry afterwards to find 

 that it was a female with young. Had I suspected this 

 it should not have been destroyed with my consent, for 

 I think it is an abominable act to kill animals hi this 

 condition. However, the grease was of great use to us, 

 for bear's grease passes for butter in the backwoods. 



This bear was very much smaller than those pre- 

 viously described, being only four feet nine inches from 

 end of snout to root of tail. It was dark, rusty brown 

 rather than black, and the cave it haunted was only 

 thirteen or fourteen feet deep, with an entrance which 

 a man could pass through without stooping, though it 

 was partly hid by the trailing creepers. Achil, who had 

 had great experience with bears, said that they often sleep 

 (hibernate) in dens and hollow trees that give but scant 

 protection from the cold and weather, though he had 

 known cases in which they occupied burrows that ran 

 more than forty feet into the ground. There is never 

 more than one bear in the same den. I am inclined to 

 accept this statement with caution, for I have seen a 

 female bear with two cubs, one of which was certainly 

 in its second year, and had, therefore, probably hibernated 

 with its mother. 



Concerning a break in the hibernation, or occasional 

 arousing, I could never glean any certain information. 

 Achil and the Indian both asserted that they had heard of 

 bears being sometimes met with in mid-winter, but they 

 had no experience of such cases themselves, nor did I 



