BRUNO IN BELMONT 101 



before eleven o'clock. Several wheelbarrow loads 

 of dry leaves, which were put into his cage, he 

 promptly took beneath the ground for bedding. 

 The entrance to his subway he always kept closed, 

 using part of his leaves for this purpose. 



My bear never really denned up, or hibernated, 

 as is the custom of wild bears at this season. 

 Only when it was very cold for several days, with 

 the thermometer standing well below the freezing- 

 point, did he stay down below for any length of 

 time. These periods of hibernation seldom ex- 

 tended more than a week. During these times of 

 seclusion it seemed impossible, however, to awaken 

 the bear, even though I called loudly to him with 

 my mouth close to the entrance of his retreat, and 

 rattled a spoon against his feeding-dish, making an 

 alluring sound that formerly had brought him out 

 quickly enough. 



On a cold day, when Bruno lay in a stupor in his 

 bedroom down below, a naturalist who was a 

 friend of mine came to see him. He had made a 

 long journey for this purpose, and I was loath to 

 disappoint him, but there seemed to be no way to 

 get the bear in sight. Though I called and shouted, 

 there was no response. 



It was Foxy who solved the problem and saved 

 the day for me. She had entered the cage and stood 

 wagging her tail, with her head in the tunnel, 



