FOOD OF THE BEAE. 151 



rotten wood to pieces for the sake of the grubs and ants' 

 eggs concealed therein ; but the bear makes short work 

 of an old tree trunk, scattering the decayed wood in 

 every direction in search of his coveted dainties. The 

 hunter in his wanderings through the forest frequently 

 meets with these traces of the bear's repast. 



'Cuffy,' as the black bear is familiarly called — the 

 grizzly being honoured with the soubriquet of 'Old 

 Ephraim ' — is passionately fond of honey, a taste which 

 is, of course, a terrible annoyance to the industrious wild 

 bees of the American forest. The professional bee- 

 hunter does not follow them more perseveringly, and 

 when the bear has once discovered a tree containing 

 bees, he does not rest till he has feasted upon the 

 honey. Confident in the protection of his shaggy fur 

 against the stings of the insects, he ascends the trunk 

 of the tree, and, if the opening be large enough, at once 

 thrusts in his paws, bringing them out covered with 

 honey, which he sucks off with the leisurely air of a 

 gourmand. If he cannot at once insert his paw, he 

 holds on to the trunk of the tree, and with his teeth 

 gnaws away till the hole by which the bees enter is 

 large enough to allow him to effect his object. Then 

 he gorges away, treating the attacks of the bees them- 

 selves with the most philosophical indifference. If, 

 however, by a lucky chance, one of the angry insects 

 should contrive to insert its sting in a tender part, such 

 as the eye or the lip, the bear instantly quits his hold 



