292 AUDUBON THE NATURALIST. 



animal, whicli are arranged in this way : A fiin- 

 nel-sliaped space about five feet long is formed 

 by driving strong sticks into the ground in two 

 converging lines, leaving both the ends open, 

 the narrow end being wide enough to admit the 

 muzzle of an old musket, and the other extrem- 

 ity so broad as to allow the head and shoulders 

 of the bear to enter. The gun is then loaded 

 and fastened securely, so as to deliver its charge 

 facing the wide end of the enclosure. A round 

 and smooth stick is now placed behind the stock 

 of the gun, and a cord leading from the trigger 

 passed around it, the other end of which, with 

 a piece of meat or a bird tied to it (an owl is a 

 favourite bait), is stretched in front of the gun, 

 so far that the bear can reach the bait with his 

 paw. Upon his pulling the meat towards him, 

 the string draws the trigger and the animal is 

 instantly killed. 



On the coast of Labrador we observed the 

 black bear catching fish with great dexterity, 

 and the food of these animals in that region 

 consisted altogether of the fishes they seized on 

 the edge of the water inside the surf. Like the 

 Polar bear, the present species swims with ease 

 and rapidity, and it is a difiicult matter to catch 

 a full-grown bear with a skifi", and a dangerous 

 adventure to attempt its capture in a canoe, 

 which it could easily upset. 



