THE BLACK BEAR 285 



Black bears were formerly plentiful in nearly all the 

 North American woods within the area named, and, 

 before they were much persecuted, they were com- 

 paratively tame. They did much damage about the 

 clearings of the early settlers, being fond of vegetables 

 and fruits, as well as pork and mutton, and a con- 

 tinuous warfare has been made on them, some of the 

 States offering rewards or bounties for their scalps. It 

 is not strange, therefore, that the little black bear has 

 become wild and shy and nocturnal in his habits, and 

 since he has good eyes, ears, and nose, he is seldom 

 seen to-day, even by the professional hunters who 

 spend much time in the woods. His presence is often 

 well known from his visits to fold, sty, coop, orchard, 

 or garden ; his tracks are often seen in the soft earth ; 

 but the sly little rascal manages to keep entirely out 

 of the way, and it is quite unusual nowadays for one 

 of these bears to come to a violent death, excepting 

 in places where he is sufficiently abundant to make 

 it worth while to set traps for him or to keep up a 

 pack of bear-hounds. 



The flesh of this bear is much esteemed by some 

 hunters. It resembles pork more than the flesh of any 

 other animal, and is often very fat. John Muir quotes 

 a hunter, from whom he was seeking information, as 

 saying: " B'ar-meat is the best meat in the mountains, 

 their skins make the best beds, and their grease the 

 best butter. Biscuit shortened with b'ar-grease goes 

 as far as beans ; a man will walk all day on a couple of 

 them biscuit." 



The sportsmen, however, who occasionally kill a 

 black bear when in the woods care more for the pelt 



