236 THE MINDS AND MANNERS 



coats of hair so thinned down that we had to explain them. 

 One bear had a very spectacular swimming trick. He would 

 swim across the pool until his front feet touched the side, 

 then he would throw himself over backwards, put his hind 

 feet against the rock wall, and with a final shove send himself 

 floating gracefully on his back across to the other side. 



Playful bears are much given to playing tricks, and teasing 

 each other. A bear sleeping out in the open den is regarded as 

 a proper subject for hectoring, by a sudden bite or cuff, or a 

 general assault. It is natural to expect that wrestling bears 

 will frequently become angry and fight; but such is not the case. 

 This often happens with boys and men, but bears play the game 

 consistently to the end. I can not recall a single instance of a 

 real bear fight as the result of a wrestling or boxing match; 

 and may all boys take note of this good example from the bear 

 dens. 



Next to the bears, the apes and monkeys are our most play- 

 ful animals. Here, also, it is the young and the half grown 

 members of the company that are most active in play. Fully 

 mature animals are too sedate, or too heavy, for the frivolities 

 of youth. A well-matched pair of young chimpanzees will 

 wrestle and play longer and harder than the young of any other 

 primate species known to me. It is important to cage together 

 only young apes of equal size and strength, for if there is any 

 marked disparity in size, the larger and stronger animal will 

 wear out the strength of its smaller cage-mate, and impair its 

 health. 



In playing, young chimps, orangs or monkeys seize each 

 other and wrestle, fall, and roll over and over, indefinitely. 

 They make great pretenses of biting each other, but it is all 

 make-believe. My favorite orang-utan pet in Borneo loved to 

 play at biting me, but whenever the pressure became too strong 

 I would say chidingly, "Ah! Ah!" and his jaws would instantly 

 relax. He loved to butt me in the chest with his head, make 

 wry faces, and make funny noises with his lips. I tried to teach 



