106 COLLECTOR'S RAMBLES 



gun kicked me so badly that I judged it must have 

 done considerable execution at the other end ; but the 

 beast evidently had no intention of coming down, so 

 Barelli put a bullet through him, and a shower of blood 

 followed by the creature itself came to the ground. It 

 proved to be an Australian bear (Phascolarctus), a 

 pouched animal, weighing about fifty pounds. 



One day, when returning from shooting, we came 

 across another bear in a tree, but, having used all our 

 ammunition, I armed myself with a stout club, and 

 started for the top of the high tree. Crawling out on 

 a branch near the bear, I struck him with my club, 

 but, instead of knocking him off, only succeeded in 

 angering him, and, before I could deal him another 

 blow, he was upon me. 



My first thought was to let go my hold, but I soon 

 changed my mind when I thought of the distance to 

 drop. I took a firm grip of a limb with my left hand, 

 and began pounding him with my fist in the most 

 approved pugilistic manner, and, with a final crack 011 

 the nose, sent him to the ground, where Shelley soon 

 despatched him. 



After shooting for many days in one locality, the 

 birds become very scarce within easy walking distance. 

 They seek more secluded and less noisy districts, where 

 they will not be molested. So it was at Pan ton Hill. 

 We started off one morning, well loaded down with 

 ammunition, food, and blankets, for a couple of days' 





