6o 



The Black Bear. 



AFTER HONEY. 



the falling stone, they had swiftly and stealthily gone away. The 

 guide said that the two bears which were on the ledge with us were 

 males, and that, as it was the pairing season, the growling we were 

 treated to was merely the preliminary of a terrible fight. During 

 the pairing season, the males congregate in bands and scour the 

 forest, growling, snarling, and fighting. On such occasions, all pru- 

 dent hunters avoid an encounter with them. The females are savage 

 when suckling their young, and will fight to the death in their pro- 

 tection. At all other seasons, both males and females avoid a meet- 

 ing with human beings, but if attacked and wounded, or brought to 

 bay, the black bear is a foe to be dreaded. Their keen scent and 

 acute hearing enable them to detect the approach of an enemy, and 

 to keep out of his way. 



Sometimes the black bear is hunted with dogs trained for the 

 purpose. The dogs are not taught to seize the game, but to nip his 

 heels, yelp around him, and retard his progress until the hunters come 

 up and dispatch him with their rifles. Common yelping curs pos- 

 sessed of the requisite pluck are best adapted for the purpose. 

 Large dogs with sufficient 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 



