46 THR SfOkV OF TUB MAR. 



The winter den of a black bear is generally a partial excavation under 

 the upturned roots of a fallen tree, or beneath a pile of logs, with perhaps a 

 few bushes and leaves scraped together by way of a bed, while to the first 

 snowstorm is left the task of completing the roof and filling the remaining 

 chinks. If the prospects point towards a severe winter, and there is a 

 scarcity of food, they "den" early, and take pains to make a comfortable nest; 

 but when they stay out late, and then "den" in a hurry, they do not take the 

 trouble to fix up their nests at all. At such times they simply crawl into any 

 convenient shelter without gathering so much as a branch of moss to soften 

 their bed. Snow completes the covering, and as their breath condenses and 

 freezes into it an icy wall begins to form, and increases in thickness and 

 extent day by day till they are soon imable to escape, even if they would, and 

 are obliged to remain in this icy cell till liberated by the sun in xA.pril or May. 



The young are born about January or February, and are usually two or 

 three in number, although four have been found in a litter. The female does 

 not give birth to young oftener than every alternate year. 



Sometimes the black bear is hunted with dogs trained for the purpose. 

 The dogs are not taught to seize the bear, but to nip his heels, yelp around 

 him, and retard his progress, until the hunters come up and despatch him 

 with their rifles. Common yelping curs possessed of the requisite pluck are 

 best adapted for the purpose. Large dogs with sufiicient courage to seize 

 a bear would have but a small chance with him, for he could disable them 

 with one blow of his powerful paw. Another way of hunting is to track 

 Bruin to his winter den, and cither smoke or dig him out, when he may be 

 despatched by a blow on the head with the pole of an axe as he struggles out. 

 Various kinds of traps, set-guns, and dead-falls are also employed against 

 him. 



THE UGLY SLOTH BEAR. 



The ugliest of all the bear tribe is the sloth bear of India. It is covered 

 with very long and coarse fur, which attains its greatest length on the 

 shoulders. With the exception of the end of the muzzle being dirty grey, 

 and of the white chevron on the chest, the color of the fur is black, but the 

 long claws are white. The claws are also unusually large and powerful, and 

 the snout and lower lip are much elongated and very mobile. These bears 

 are from 4^ feet to 5, feet 8 inches in the length of the head and body, the 

 tail generally measiu\ng from 4 to 5 inches, exclusive of the hair. Large 

 males weigh as nuich as 280 TX)unds. 



