68 NEIGHBOURS UNKNOWN 



which lay on a hummock of firm ground at 

 his feet. 



But the bear was not the only connoisseur 

 of grubs in Black Swamp. Some dozen 

 inches before his nose a particularly fat 

 maggot was squirming in the shallow remnant 

 of its chamber, dismayed at its sudden ex- 

 posure to the air. The bear was just on the 

 the point of picking it up, when it was pounced 

 upon by one of the great black-and-white 

 hornets, as a hawk might pounce on a rabbit. 

 Pricked with the tip of the hornet's sting, the 

 fat grub lashed itself out in one convulsive 

 squirm, and then lay still. Straddling over it, 

 the hornet rolled it together cleverly, then, 

 plunging her mandibles into its soft body, 

 proceeded to drain its juices. 



For some moments the bear had watched 

 this performance with curious interest, his 

 little eyes twinkling wickedly. Now he had 

 had enough of the show. Stretching out one 

 mighty paw, he laid it down deliberately on 

 the hornet and her prey. For a moment 

 he left it there, as if his act had been one of 

 considered punishment. Then, withdrawing 

 the paw, he eyed the flattened insect, and 

 proceeded to swallow her and her victim 

 together. 



But the hornet was not quite dead, for the 



