274 THE BEAR AND THE BEES. 



various kinds, which he skilfully grubs up ; nuts and 

 fruits, as well as fish and flesh. He is, in fact, omnivor- 

 ous. He has also been known to eat heartily of car- 

 rion ; but, as a rule, he prefers a vegetable diet. Some 

 individuals, however, have developed a partiality for a 

 meat diet, and will brave every risk to satisfy the 

 craving. These will boldly invade the settler's sheep or 

 hog pen and seize a victim, which they will convey to 

 the nearest cover, and there greedily devour it alive ; 

 for the bear, unlike other carnivorous animals, does not 

 kill his prey outright, but rends and devours it while 

 still screaming and struggling for its existence." 



" I need not remind you," said Pierre glancing from 

 his book, " that the black bear is fond of honey. To 

 discover a bee-tree, indeed, is one of the chief aims of 

 his life. As he is a very expert climber, thanks to the 

 strength of hug with which Nature has supplied him, he 

 can ascend the tallest and smoothest trees with ease. He 

 thus has no difficulty in prosecuting his never-ending 

 search for the hives of the wild bees, which are usually 

 the holes worn in some patriarch of the forest by the 

 corroding effect of the weather or by internal decay. 

 If the entrance to these stores is too small to admit his 

 head, he soon enlarges it with his powerful claws. His 

 thick fur is a perfect defence against the attacks of the 

 enraged insects, whose buzzing legions the robber re- 

 gards with the profoundest indifference. But should a 

 sting be inserted in a tender part, such as the eye or 

 lip, the bear immediately retreats to some neighbouring 



