In the Sierra 



month before the usual time. Were bears 

 much more numerous and destructive, the 

 sheep would be kept away altogether. 



It seems strange that bears, so fond of all 

 sorts of flesh, running the risks of guns and 

 fires and poison, should never attack men 

 except in defense of their young. How eas- 

 ily and safely a bear could pick us up as we 

 lie asleep ! Only wolves and tigers seem to 

 have learned to hunt man for food, and per- 

 haps sharks and crocodiles. Mosquitoes and 

 other insects would, I suppose, devour a help- 

 less man in some parts of the world, and so 

 might lions, leopards, wolves, hyenas, and 

 panthers at times if pressed by hunger, 

 but under ordinary circumstances, perhaps, 

 only the tiger among land animals may be 

 said to be a man-eater, unless we add man 

 himself. 



Clouds as usual about .05. Another glori- 

 ous Sierra day, warm, crisp, fragrant, and 

 clear. Many of the flowering plants have 

 gone to seed, but many others are unfolding 



[ 285 ] 



