THE BLACK BEAR COMEDIAN 109 



This place may be dug beneath the base of 

 a fallen tree, close to the upturned roots, or 

 a rude cave between immense rocks, or a den 

 beneath a brush heap. Sometimes he sleeps on 

 the bare earth or on the rocks of a cave; but he 

 commonly claws into his den a quantity of litter 

 or trash, then crawls into this and goes to sleep. 

 The time of his retiring for the winter varies 

 with the latitude; but usually all bears of the 

 same locality retire at about the same date, 

 early December being the most common time. 



The grizzly bear is more particular in his 

 choice of sleeping quarters and desires better 

 protection and concealment than the black bear. 

 Bears sometimes come forth in fair weather for 

 a few hours and possibly for a few days. I have 

 known them to come out briefly in mid-winter. 



With the coming of spring anywhere be- 

 tween the first of March and the middle of 

 May the bears emerge, the males commonly 

 two weeks or more earlier than the females. 

 Usually they at once journey down the moun- 

 tain. They eat little or nothing for the first 

 few days. They are likely to break their fast 

 with the tender shoots of willow, grass, and 

 sprouting roots, or a bite of bark from a pine. 



The cubs are born about mid-winter. Com- 

 monly there are three at a birth, but the number 

 varies from one to four. At the time of birth 



