50 THE hu:n'ter and teappee. 



very fouJ of acorns, "beccli nuts, hucldeberrios, and all 

 kinds of sweet berries, and they will go some distance to 

 get apples. In fact, it is a good plan to set a bear trap 

 under a sweet apple tree. They are quite as hard to get 

 a shot at as a deer, being wild and watchful. 



The bear is very fond of water and loves to swim, and 

 you can overtake him with a boat ; but mind to shoot 

 him before you go too near, for if you fail to kill him he 

 is bound to get aboard if the boat stays right side up, and 

 if your gun is not loaded he will stand as good a chance 

 as you to get ashore alive. 



It is a rare thing for a bear to attack a man, but you 

 must not assault the female when she has cubs, or you 

 will pay for it. Old Mr. Pomeroy, hunting his cows one 

 morning, saw a she-bear standing in his road. Says he, 

 " Old girl, I'll give you a scare ;" so he pulled his old frock 

 over his head and made at her with a great " boo." But 

 old Mrs. Bruin never flinched, but dove right at him, and 

 he turned and put for home as hard as he could go, with 

 one sole of his shoe partly loose, flapping as he went, and 

 the old bear right at his heels, warming his butt at every 

 jump, almost to his house door. The old man said she 

 never could have made any impression on his stern, for it 

 was. dried up as hard as a butternut. 



The bear is a hibernating animal, and goes into win- 

 ter quarters as soon as cold weather sets in. Some 

 times they stay out until the snow is quite deep on the 

 ground. But they generally make for their dens before 



