i 4 o THE MINDS AND MANNERS 



a resound and a rebound that frightens the boldest bear 

 almost as much as being hit. So the bear herd wisely climbs 

 up to the first balcony and sits down to wait. No bear ever 

 leaps down to attack a keeper. The distance and the jolt 

 are not pleasant; and whenever a bear grows weary and essays 

 to climb down, he is sternly ordered back. The keepers are 

 forbidden to permit any familiarities on the part of their bears. 



All the bears, save one, that have come to us fully grown, 

 and savage, have been managed by other methods, involving 

 shifting cages. 



On two occasions only have any of our keepers been badly 

 bitten in our bear dens. Both attacks were due to over- 

 trustfulness of "petted" bears, and to direct disobedience of 

 fixed orders. 



From the very beginning I laid down this law for our 

 keepers, and have repeated it from year to year. 



" Make no pets of animals large enough to become dangerous. 

 Make every animal understand and admit day by day that 

 you are absolute master, that it has got to obey, and that if 

 it disobeys, or attacks you, you will kill it!" 



Familiarity with a dangerous wild animal usually breeds 

 contempt and attack. 



Timidity is so fatal that none but courageous and deter- 

 mined men should be chosen, or be permitted, to take care of 

 dangerous animals. 



In every zoological garden heroic deeds are common; and 

 the men take them all as coming in the day's work. Men in 

 positions of control over zoological parks and gardens should 

 recognize it as a solemn duty to provide good salaries for all 

 men who take care of live wild mammals, birds and reptiles. 

 A man who is in daily danger of getting hurt should not every 

 waking hour of his life be harried and worried by poverty in his 

 home. 



Let me cite one case of real heroism in our bear dens, which 

 went in with "the day's work," as many others have done. 



