THE BLACK BEAR OF MUSKOKA 77 



in some well-concealed den, or great hollow tree, 

 and so cautious is the dam in selecting her place 

 of accouchement, that it is extremely difficult to 

 discover it, and consequently very rarely that 

 either the female or her cubs are seen until the 

 latter have attained a much larger size than when 

 born, and are able to follow their mother, and 

 climb trees with facility. Once (it was in 1890) 

 I stumbled upon a deserted bear's den under the 

 following circumstances : 



"It was clear that, whilst taking aim, I had 

 overbalanced myself, and the noise of the report 

 had caused the ponies to take fright and hurl me 

 against a sharp piece of rock. The spot where 

 the accident happened contained many shelving 

 rocks and small hollow places like caverns, where 

 one might expect to find a sleeping bear, living 

 upon ithe accumulated fat of autumn's feasts. 

 Here appeared a desirable place for a night's 

 rest, with the possibility of a warm skin for a 

 couch. 



" It was nearly dark when I returned, and 

 already the wolves had begun to howl in answering 

 calls. It is difficult to describe the savage voice 

 of a hungry wolf. It might be likened to some- 

 thing between the dismal moaning of a watch-dog 



