HABITS QF THE BLACK BEAE. 157 



jured, shake himself, and trot off as if nothing had hap- 

 pened. 



The vitality of the bear is immense. His powers of 

 destruction when wounded are equally so. So, gentle 

 reader, if it should be your fortune to go bear-hunting, pray 

 be careful in your approach to them when wounded. A 

 sportsman's maxim, that should never be forgotten, is 

 " always load your gun before you move from where 

 it was discharged, and never let the excitement of the 

 moment permit you to hurry when performing this useful 

 duty." 



A great many bears have been killed with the knife 

 only, but the person who performs so dangerous a feat 

 must truly be fool-hardy and reckless of consequences, and 

 in my belief such conduct is, except in cases of emergency, 

 most unjustifiable. For one who returns safe in limb and 

 skin from such a contest, the majority who attempt it get 

 fearfully mauled, or very possibly disabled. 



The black bear in a state of captivity is extremely rest- 

 less, and, when old, bad-tempered and treacherous, more 

 especially should he have been teased in his youth ; but 

 when he roves the forest, free, he is the laziest and most 

 luxurious fellow, sleeping the greater portion of his time, 

 feeding on nuts or luscious fruits, playing in the sun's 

 heat with comrades, and seldom quarrelling with his 

 brethren. When passages of arms take place, love is 

 the cause, and the battle is waged more in words than 

 blows. 



Two or three years ago, in the autumn, about midnight, 

 I was passing through a chain of Inlces in the State of 



