THE AMERICAN BLACK BEAR 213 



good general idea of his diet. I must not omit 

 to say, however, he is something of a fisherman, 

 both for gain and for sport, and with a quick 

 stroke of his paw, sends many an unsuspecting 

 fish hurtling through the air to land well up on 

 the bank, where he can once more please his 

 palate. 



I have often heard of seven hundred pound 

 black bears; there are none. Between four and 

 five hundred pounds are as heavy as they will ever 

 tip the scales. Bears are very rarely weighed by 

 hunters, and the estimates given of their weight 

 are very often much in excess, but, of course, not 

 always purposely so. Broadly speaking, I would 

 say that the average weight of the average black 

 bear, taking them as you happen to find them, 

 would be approximately one hundred and fifty 

 pounds. I am not speaking of full-grown bears, 

 as one is likely to kill several partly-grown bears 

 to one full grown. A full-grown bear in the 

 spring may w r eigh but a little over two hundred, 

 and the same bear in the fall might easily be close 

 to a four hundred pounder. At what age a bear 

 reaches its full growth no one can say exactly; I 

 am inclined to think some mature a little earlier 

 than others, just as in the case of a human being. 

 I think a bear of six years, under ordinary cir- 



