288 THE BEAR FAMILY 



tongue told plainly that he was ' getting it ' in the 

 mouth, thus despite his fortitude compelling Bruin to 

 give tongue to his tormentors. 



" But Bruin kept at the feast until he was nearly 

 stuffed with the sweets. He was utterl}' unconscious 

 of the hunter's presence, who now fired, and the gorged 

 animal fell mortally wounded." * 



There is a popular impression that the bear embraces 

 and hugs his enemy, thus crushing him to death. His 

 method of fighting, however, when forced into an 

 encounter is to strike with his claws and bite. 



The bear has from two to five cubs, the former 

 number being common, the latter quite exceptional. 

 The cubs are very small at birth — not over six inches 

 long. They make amusing pets when young, but they 

 grow rough as they grow older. I was much amused 

 in observing one owned by a friend. When it grew 

 old enough to strike a hard blow he decided to part 

 with it. After it had handled him roughly several 

 times he presented it to me. I declined the gift, how- 



* Standard Natural History, Vol. V. Bruin, as we have observed, is 

 easily intoxicated, and very human in his drunken antics. One writer says : 

 "I have seen him killed by negroes while lying helpless upon his back 

 catching at the clouds ; but such slaughter is unsportsmanlike, and no true 

 hunter would resort to it." 



In the year 1894, the last year in which the State paid a bounty on bears, 

 359 were killed in the Adirondacks, on which bounty was claimed. 



Mr. Chahoon says: "It is the general opinion of people who live in 

 the Adirondacks that when a bear kills a sheep he eats all he can, and 

 returns in a night or two for another good meal on the remains. I have 

 known of three instances where steel traps and strychnine have been cun- 

 ningly prepared for his expected return, but he did not come back in either 

 case." The bear is, however, extremely sly and cautious. It is more than 

 likely they returned, but suspected something wrong, and smelling the trap 

 or bait, retired. They have often acted in this way. 



