CHAPTER XXIII. 



DIFFICULTIES ATTENDANT ON BEAK HUNTING TUE FISHING COTTAGE 

 TRACKS OF BEAR AND MAN SIMILAR STARTING THREE BEARS WANT 

 OF CAUTION ELG IN JEOPARDY NORTHERN FORESTS BY NIGHT 

 EFFECTS OF COLD STARTING A FOURTH BEAR PROTRACTED CHASSE, 

 ENDING IN THE DEATH OF ALL THE BEARS. 



ALTHOUGH bears, as shown in the last chapter, are at 

 times to be shot with facility ; at others, owing to the state 

 of the weather and the snow, the difficulty of killing them 

 is very considerable. 



Once though this was not until the winter was pretty far 

 advanced being unable to hear of any ringed bear in Werme- 

 land or Dalecarlia, Elg and I determined, if practicable, on 

 rousing one ourselves. We selected for the scene of opera- 

 tions the tract of forest to the southward of Risater that 

 bounded on the east by the lakes Rada-, Lid-, and Gras-sjon, 

 and on the west by the river Clara, where several of those 

 beasts were believed to harbour. They had of recent years, 

 indeed, committed considerable ravages thereabouts ; and no 

 later than the past summer M. Falk had got up a Skall on a 

 very large scale for their destruction ; but this, owing to 





