398 "BEARS'-GREASE." 



The flesh of the Bear is held in high esteem among the colonists and native hunters, 

 and when properly prepared is considered a great delicacy by the denizens of civilized, 

 localities. The hams, when cured after the approved recipe, are greatly esteemed by 

 epicures. The Brown Bear of Europe is also famed for the excellent quality of the 

 meat which it furnishes. 



The fat of the Bear is, as is well known, considered as an infallible specific for in- 

 creasing the growth of the hair and promoting its gloss, and is therefore a valuable 

 article of commerce. The only portion of the fat that is legitimately employed for 

 this purpose is the hard white. fat which is found in the interior of the body. As might 

 be expected from the enormous amount of titular " Bear's-grease " which is annually 

 consumed, even in England, but a very small proportion of the substance which is 

 called by that name has ever formed part of a Bear's person. The pig steps in to 

 make good the deficiency, and the greater portion of the material which is sold under 

 the name of Bear's-grease is in reality nothing more or less than hog's-lard, colored 

 and scented* in order to charm the eye and nostrils of the purchaser. There 

 is yet another use to which the fat of the Bear is put, which will be presently 

 mentioned. 



The chase of this Bear is an extremely dangerous one, and there are but very few 

 Bear-hunters, however dexterous they may be, who do not in the end succumb to the 

 claws and teeth of one of these- powerful animals. Although it is naturally a very 

 quiet and retiring creature, keeping itself aloof from mankind, and never venturing 

 near his haunts except when incited by the pangs of fierce hunger, it is a truly furious 

 beast when hemmed in by its antagonists, and all hope of escape cut off. Seated 

 erect, with its eyeballs darting fury, its ears laid closely upon its head, its tongue loll- 

 ing out of its mouth, and every gesture glowing with fierce energy, it presents a sight 

 that is sufficient to unnerve any but an experienced hunter, who has learned by long 

 practice to preserve a cool demeanor under the most exciting circumstances. Horses 

 are almost useless at such a juncture, for unless they have been most carefully trained 

 to the task, they are seized with such mental terror at the sight and scent of the in- 

 furiate animal that they give way to their frantic fears, and become wholly unmanage- 

 able by their rider. As the Bear stands, or rather sits at bay, it deals such terrible and 

 rapid blows with its ready paws that it strikes down the attacking dogs as if they were 

 so many rabbits, and ever and anon makes a furious charge at its enemies. Nothing 

 but a rifle-ball seems to check the creature when it is wrought up to this pitch of fury, 

 for even the severest wounds from a knife seem, unless they reach the heart, to have 

 only the effect of exciting the animal to more furious rage. 



The Musquaw has a curious habit of treading frequently in the same path, so that 

 after a little time it makes out for itself certain roads, which are easily detected by the 

 practised eye of the hunter, and often lead to the destruction of the animal which trod 

 them. 



During the month of June the Bears are very thin, and their flesh is considered to 

 be of no value whatever ; so that they enjoy a short period of unmolested ease. As 

 they are especially fierce at this time of the year, the hunters have a double reason for 

 keeping aloof from the animals which they persecute with a deadly pertinacity through- 

 out the other portions of the year. Their peculiar ferocity at this time is attributable 

 to the fact that the male Bears are engaged in seeking their mates, and when it happens, 

 as is often the case among wild animals, that two or more males take a fancy to the 

 same female, they fight for the desired prize with unrelenting fury. 



Although the white hunters chase and kill the Bear without any remorse of con- 

 science, the copper-colored races are so impressed with the intellectual powers of this 

 cunning and dangerous animal, that they endeavor to appease the manes of a slaught- 

 ered Bear with various singular and time-honored ceremonies. The head of the slain 

 animal is decorated with every procurable trinket, and is then laid ceremoniously upon 

 a new blanket. Tobacco-smoke is then solemnly blown into the nostrils of the severed 

 head by the successful hunter, and a deprecatory speech is made, in which the orator 

 extols the courage of the defeated animal, pays a few supplementary compliments 

 to its still living relations, regrets the necessity for its destruction, and expresses his 



