BEAR . 6: 



trary, most bears are not cowards. Bret Harte. 

 who lived in the western country, and should 

 known whereof he spoke, wrote of the 

 gfizs -ird. of heroic size," but hunters 



agree that a boar is no enemy to be laughed 

 at. Most bears are good-natured, it is true, 

 and do not begin a fight unless they are pfo- 

 .1 to it or fear that their young are in 

 danger; but once aroused they show a tre- 

 mendous strength against which little but a 

 quick-shooting rifle can prevail. 



The "hrar's hug" is a very real thing, and 

 natives of the countries where bears live know 

 this and prefer to capture or kill the animals 

 during the winter season, when they are sleep- 

 ing or are at least sluggish. 



Value to Man. Uncivilized peoples have 

 always regarded bear's meat very highly, and 

 the most modern of hunters find that it is of 

 fine flavor. The fat, moreover, is of use, for 

 though "bear's grease" is no longer popular 

 for the hair as it was two generations ago, 

 other ointments are made from it; but the 

 skin is the most valuable part of the animal. 

 The skins of large bears, carefully dressed and 

 mounted, bring good prices, $1,000 being no 

 uncommon price for a fine polar bear rug, 

 while a grizzly bear rug will sell for a quarter 

 or a half that price. 



Winter Habits. While the statement is com- 

 monly made that the bear hibernates, or passes 

 the winter in a state of stupor, this is not true 

 in the sense in which it is true of the snake, 

 for instance. (See HIBERNATION.) In cold 

 countries most bears do retire to their caves 

 and there sleep through the winter, waiting 

 the return of spring and a new food supply, 

 but they do not become torpid. The hiberna- 

 tion of the female is much more complete than 

 is that of the male, which frequently prowls 

 about at night during even the coldest weather. 

 When the female comes out in the spring she 

 is very thin and almost unable to walk. The 

 grizzly bear hibernates very little, and the 

 polar bear, despite the coldness of its dwelling 

 place, not at all. 



Kinds of Bears. Almost all the bears live in 

 North America, Europe or Asia, though South 

 America has one species, the Andean, and 

 Africa has the Atlas bear. 



Most distinctive of all the species is the 

 polar or ice bear of the Arctic regions. It is 

 a wonderful example of the adaptation of an 

 animal to its surroundings, for its creamy white 

 color allows it to creep practically unseen upon 

 its prey, which would quickly be aware of an 



BEAR 



Outline and Questions on 

 the Bear 



I. 



(1) Size and shape 



(2) Loose skin; IOUK hair 



(3) Apparent awkwardness 



II. UnbilN and S<-i 



(1) Food 



(a) Flesh 



(b) Other food 



(2) Special senses 



(3) Solitary habits 



(4) Strong mother instinct 



(5) Dangerous enemy when aroused 



(6) Winter habits 



(a) Period of stupor 



(b) Hibernation of female 



III. Kinds of Beam 



(1) Polar bear 



(2) Grizzly 



(a) Silvertip 



(b) Cinnamon 



(3) Brown bear 



(4) Black bear 



(5) Kadiak bear 



IV. Value to Man 



(1) The flesh 



(2) The fat 



(3) The skin 



Questions 



What kind of a bear is the "Bruin" 

 of the stories? 



How much is a large polar bear skin 

 worth? 



What sense guides a bear in its 

 search for honey? 



Why are bears better known than 

 most wild animals? 



Why are some people under the im- 

 pression that bears are cowards? 



What advantage to the polar bear is 

 its color? 



Why do farmers dislike the black 

 bear? 



What city in Europe is named for 

 bears, and why? 



What are the winter habits of most 

 bears? 



What book of Kipling's makes clear 

 one peculiarity of the bear? 



What is the largest of all bears? 

 Is it dangerous? 



How do. hunters regard the grizzly? 



When do natives prefer to capture 

 bears? 



In what way are the looks of a bear 

 deceiving? 



