THE BLACK BEAR OF PENNSYLVANIA 83 



Bears' Grease, etc. . 



Bear hides sold as high as $40.00 for a large one, 

 twenty-five to forty years ago. The price at the pres- 

 ent time is from $10.00 to $30.00, according to size. 

 The bear's grease or bear's oil is good for many uses, 

 one for limbering up stiff joints and rheumatism. 

 The Indians used lots of it for rheumatism. It has 

 been said that if a person uses too much bear's oil 

 on his joints it limbers the joints so much that a 

 person can't stop walking. Indians used the fat of 

 bears to anoint and darken <their complexions. Our 

 old pioneers' wives arid daughters used bear's oil as 

 a hair dressing, as the oil gives the hair a very fluffy 

 and rich appearance, and makes the hair very soft. 

 The old-time mountain girls were all noted for their 

 wonderful heads of hair. 



"Poody" Lovett's Bear 



It would not be correct to wind up this book with- 

 out relating the story of "Poody" Lovett's bear, as 

 told by W. J. Phillips, of McEl'hattan, Clinton County. 

 Lovett, a well known mountain character living near 

 the head of Plum Run, a branch of Chatham's Run, 

 (Clinton County), while out with his industrious wife 

 cutting logs, encountered a large black bear in the 

 woods. Not having any ropes or chains, the wily 

 woodsman promptly took off his "galluses" and made 

 an improvised collar for the animal. Then he ordered 

 his wife to run home to get a dog collar and chain. 



