vii FRESH TRACKS OF A BEAR 191 



Wednesday, 6t/i April iSSi. A finer morning. 

 Left at nine to beat the cornice above the rocks. 

 Antoine and Celestin accompanied us to the posts. 

 The mists came on so heavy as we got to the first 

 caves, that we decided on sending Antoine back to call 

 the men and tell them to beat the low central beat on 

 the south side for bears, of which we had found tracks. 

 The forest in this beat, which is a narrowish strip 

 between the precipices and the Gave, is principally 

 composed of beech, with here and there clumps of pine 

 and silver fir. The foot of the precipices are as usual 

 disintegrated into irregular ledges, where, from the 

 droppings and tracks, the bouquetin must constantly 

 lie. The immense quantity of beech masts makes it a 

 favourite haunt for bears, though I fancy they seldom 

 stop so low down in the daytime. Arthur was posted 

 opposite the big avalanche beyond the first caves, and 

 I at a splendid spot commanding three fords. The 

 beat took a long time, the men not arriving till three. 

 Afterwards we went to the head of the valley. Just 

 beyond the snow-covered young beech wood we came 

 on the perfectly fresh tracks of a bear. These Celestin 

 and I followed, Arthur keeping above us near the 

 precipices. The tracks led down to the Gave, 

 crossed south, then went into the Gave, up which 

 the beast had waded, then left the river and led straight 

 up the steep bank through the deep snow and up the 

 south side. It took us some time to find all this out. 

 We sent Michell over to follow the tracks a bit, and he 

 found an older track going along and coming down 

 again. There were also tracks on the north side far 

 up the valley, but rather older. I believe all these 

 tracks are made in the night or early morning, and 

 that the bears get up into the most inaccessible 

 cornices during the daytime. On the way home we 



