192 lawson's history 



tiie sweetest of any creatures in tlie world. If a 

 man drink a quart thereof, melted, it never will 

 rise in his stomach. We prefer it ahove all things 

 to fry fish and other things in. Those that are 

 strangers to it may judge otherwise, hut I who 

 have catena great deal of bear's flesh in my life time 

 (since my being an inhabitant in America) do 

 think it equalizes, if not excels any meat I ever 

 eat in Europe. The bacon made thereof is extra- 

 ordinary meat ; but it must be well saved, other- 

 wise it will rust. This creature feeds upon all 

 sorts of wild fruits. When herrings run, which 

 is in March, the flesh of such of those bears as eat 

 thereof, is naught all that season, and eats filthily. 

 Neither is it good when he feeds on gum berries, 

 as I intimated before. They are great devourers 

 of acorns, and oftentimes meet the swine in the 

 woods, which they kill and eat, especially when 

 they are hungry and can find no other food. Now 

 and then they get into fields of Indian corn or 

 maiz, where they make a sad havock, spoiling ten 

 times as much as they eat. The potatos of this 

 country are so agreeable to them, that they never 

 fail to sweep them all clean if they chance to come 

 in their way. They are seemingly a very clumsy 

 creature, yet are very nimble in running up trees 

 and traversing every limb thereof When they 

 come down they run tail foremost. At catching 

 of herrings, they are most expert fishers. They 

 sit by the creek sides, (which are very narrow) 

 where the fish run in, and there they take them 



