BEARS IN THEIR WINTER-QUARTERS. 155 



about Christmas, or the beginning of the year, and re- 

 mains till the end of February ; if the weather is then 

 mild he comes out occasionally, and sometimes he does not 

 return to his winter-quarters, but prepares a new lair by 

 biting down branches, and making a bed for himself in 

 the most secluded and thickest jungle, as far removed as 

 possible from the haunts of man. If they go into a cave, 

 they do not take any provisions with them, but keep 

 sucking their paws, whining all the time ; when they be- 

 come torpid, they lie with their head doubled under them, 

 and their fore-paws above it. I myself have crawled into 

 a cave, and poked bears with the end of my rifle, to make 

 them raise their heads, so that I might conveniently fire 

 into their brains ; and the bears were always cowardly 

 in the cave, except they had young, when they fight 

 furiously but even then, only when they have no other 

 choice. When the weather is warm and they come out 

 to drink, it is extraordinary how exactly they always step 

 in the same place ; but as the marks are thereby made so 

 much deeper, these ' stepping paths/ as they are called, 

 are easily discovered." 



The night was bitter cold ; the day broke as fine as a 

 sportsman could wish. One of Conwell's married sons, 

 who lived in the neighborhood, joined our party, and 

 another young man named Smith, and as we rode by 

 the school, the master dismissed all the boys and girls, 

 as the temptation to accompany us was too strong to be 

 resisted. We took plenty of fir splinters for torches, 

 and our guide was young Smith, who was one of the 

 party who had tracked the bear, but not ventured very 

 ar into the cave. 



