CLASS I. MAMMALIA: ORDER 5. CARNIVORA. 1»;;, 



hunters. A blow of its huge paw will lay the largest dog 'lead in an instant. It is an object of 

 keen pursuit by the hunter and trapper, as well on account of its skin, which is greatly prized, as 

 for the love of the chase. Scarcely a season passes that the villagers of Maine, and even the 

 northern parts of Vermont and New Hampshire, are not invited to this sport by the \ isits of these 

 animals within their precincts, coining from the north as winter approaches. 



The Indians, though they kill and eat the bear, by a strange apotheosis, regard the Bear Spirit 

 as one of their divinities, before whom they perform wild dances, and other ceremonies, by wa\ 

 of propitiation. An instance of this kind of superstition is furnished by Mr. Henry, who gives the 

 following curious account : 



"In the course of the month of January, I happened to observe that the trunk of a very large 

 nine-tree was much torn by the claws of a b sar, made both in going up and down. On further 

 examination, I saw that there was a large opening in the upper part, near which the smaller 

 branches were broken. From these marks, and from the additional circumstance that there were 

 no tracks in the snow, there was reason to believe that a bear lay concealed in the tree. On 

 returning to the lodge, I communicated my discovery, and it was agreed that all the family 

 should go together in the morning to assist in cutting down the tree, the girth of which was not 

 less than three fathoms. The women at first opposed the undertaking, because our axes, being 

 only of a pound and a half weight, were not well adapted to so heavy a labor; but the hope 

 of finding a large bear, and obtaining from its fat a great quantity of oil, an article at the time 

 much wanted, at length prevailed. 



"Accordingly, in the morning we surrounded the tree, both men and women, as many at a 

 time as could conveniently work at it; and there we toiled like beavers till the sun went down. 

 This day's work carried us about halfway through the trunk, and the next morning we renewed 

 the attack, continuing it till about two o'clock in the afternoon, -when the tree fell to the ground. 

 For a few minutes every thing remained quiet, and I feared that all our expectations would be 

 disappointed; but, as I advanced to the opening, there came, out, to the great satisfaction of all 

 our party, a bear of extraordinary size, which I shot. The bear being dead, my assistants 

 approached, and all, but particularly my 'Old Mother,' as I was wont to call her, took the head 

 in their hands, stroking and kissing it several times; begging a thousand pardons for taking 

 away her life; calling her their relation and grandmother; and requesting her not to lay the 

 fault upon them, since it was truly an Englishman that had put her to death. 



"This ceremony was not of long duration, and if it was I that killed their grandmother, they 

 were not themselves behindhand in what remained to be performed. The skin being taken off, 

 we found the fat in several places six inches deep. Tins, being divided into two parts loaded 

 two persons; and the flesh parts were as much as four persons could carry. In all, the carcass 

 must have exceeded five hundred weight. As soon as we reached the lodge, tin' bear's head was 

 adorned with all the trinkets in the possession of the family, such as silver arm-bands, and wrist- 

 hands, and belts of wampum, and then laid upon a scaffold set up for its reception within the 

 lodge. Near the nose was placed a large quantity of tobacco. The next morning no sooner 

 appeared than preparations were made for a feast to the manes. The lodge was cleaned and 

 swept, and the head of the bear lifted up, and a new Stroud blanket, which had never been used, 

 spread under it. 



"The pipes were now lighted, ami Wawatam blew tobacco-smoke into the nostrils of the bear, 

 telling me to do the same, and thus appease the anger of the bear on account of my having 

 killed her. I endeavored to persuade my benefactor and friendly adviser that she no longer had 

 any life, and assured him that I was under no apprehension from her displeasure; but the first 

 proposition obtained no credit, and the second gave but little satisfaction. At length, the feast 

 being ready, Wawatam made a speech resembling in many respects his address to the mane- of 

 Lis relations and departed companions; but having this peculiarity, that he here deplored the 

 » necessity under which men labored thus to destroy their friends. He represented, however, that 

 the misfortune was unavoidable, since without doing so they could by no means subsist. The 

 speech ended, we all ate heartily of the bear's flesh ; and even the head itself, after remaining 

 three days on the scaffold, was put into the kettle." 



