AMMAI.S. >')2l 



Tte voice of the bear is a Ivind of growl, interrupted witli 

 rage, which is often capriciously exerted ; and though this ani- 

 mal seems gentle and placid to its master, when tamed, yet it is 

 still to be distrusted and managed with caution, as it is often 

 treacherous and resentful without a cause. 



ptirsui t of Iioney, of \vliich he is passionately fond. Wlion all these resourceg 

 fiiil liim, lie will attack the smaller quadrupeds, and sometimes even animaly 

 of considerable size; familiarity with danger diminishing' his natural timi- 

 dity, and the use of fle.^h beiretting- a taste for its continued enjoyment. Ho 

 i' also said, like the Polar Bear, to have a peculiar fondness for fish, and is 

 frequently met with on the borders of lakes and on the coast of the sea, to 

 which he has resorted for the gratification of this appetite. Notwithstand- 

 ing his apparent clumsiness, he swims with the greatest dexterity, the ex. 

 cessive quantity of fat with which he is loaded serving to buoy him up i:i 

 the water ; in this way he frequently crosses the broadest rivers, or even 

 very considerable arms of the sea. 



The entire continent of North America, or perhaps it might be more cor- 

 rect to Siiy, that immense portion of its surface which still remains uncultL 

 vated and desolate, furnishes an abode to this species of bear, which is con- 

 sequently as widely dispersed as any of his ti'ibo. As liis fur is of some value 

 \n commerce, although not so much sought after at the present day as it wa.s 

 formerly, his race has become an object of the cupidity of man, by whom 

 tlioy are frequently hunted fiu- the sake of their skins, ^hiscliase is princi. 

 pally followed by the Indians, who arc also attracted by the flavour of his 

 flesh, of which, and especially of the fat, they partake with an avidity 

 truly disgusting. Travellers, however, who liave been reduced to the ne- 

 cessity of having recoiu-se to this sort of food, speak of it as by no means 

 despicable : the fat yields moreover a quantity of oil, wliich is often ox- 

 treraelv serviceable. The Indians will sometimes attack these animals 

 single-handed ; and if they can manage to keep beyond the reach of their 

 powerful grasp, which is almost irresistible, ai-e sure of gaining the victory ; 

 as the bears, in the rampant posture ^vhich they always assvune in self-de- 

 fence, luiconsciously expose their most ^'ulnerable parts to the attack of the 

 hunter. Snares are sometimes laid for them ; but these are most frequent- 

 ly unsuccessful; that extreme caution, which is so strongly portrayed in 

 their actions and demeanor, rendering them mistrustful of every thing-. 

 Nevertheless their gluttony will sometimes get the better of their prudence, 

 and the bait of honey offers too tempting an allurement to be always resist- 

 ed. At other times a whf>le tribe (jf Indians will assemble for the chase, and 

 after having performed a variety of superstitious observances, beat the eii. 

 tire country for their game, drive a great number of them into a spot select- 

 ed for the purpose, and deal ff)rth upon them wholesah; destruction. They 

 will also trace them to their retreats in the season of their lethargy, which 

 occupies several of the winter months, and during which the bears are in- 

 capable of oflfering any effectual resistance. 



In captivity the Elack Bear is distinguished from the brown only by the 

 less degree of docility and intelligence which he evinces : and the habits of 

 the latter arc so universally known that it would be useless to dwell upon 

 them here. 



2 X .3 



