THE COMMON BEAR. 97 



Methods of taking bears. 



and repeats his efforts; till, with increasing fury, 

 he either sinks exhausted to the ground, or ends 

 his life by one decisive plunge. 



The strong predilection of this animal for 

 honey, has given rise to one of the Russian me- 

 thods of taking him. From those trees where 

 the hees are hived, a heavy log of wood is sus- 

 pended at the end of a long string. When the 

 bear climbs up to get at the hive, he finds him- 

 self interrupted by the log; he pushes it aside, 

 and immediately attempts to pass it; but in re- 

 turning, it strikes him so violently, that in a rage, 

 he flings it from him with greater force, which 

 makes it return with increased violence upon 

 himself; and he sometimes continues this, till he 

 falls the victim of his own simplicity. 



In some parts of the north, a single man will 

 attack a bear in the open plains, without any 

 other instruments than a sharp knife and a sti- 

 letto, pointed at both ends and fastened to a 

 thong. The thong he wraps about his right arm, 

 and taking his stiletto in one hand, and his knife 

 in the other, he boldly approaches the animal, 

 who rears on its hind legs to receive the attack. 

 The instant the creature opens its jaws, the hun- 

 ter thiusts his stiletto into its throat, and gives it 

 such acute pain that all its resistance is at an 

 end, and the victim may be either stabbed, oi- 

 led home alive by the hunter. 



No animal is so variously serviceable to the 

 Kamtschadales, after its death as the bear. Of 



NO. III. N 



