THE BLACK BEAR OF MUSKOKA 87 



more of our mental attitude than we give them 

 credit for ; and the theory gains rather than 

 loses strength whenever I think of Mooween on 

 that narrow pass. I can see him now, turning, 

 twisting uneasily, and the half-timid look in his 

 eyes as they met mine furtively, as if ashamed, 

 and again the low, troubled whine comes floating 

 up the path and mingles with the rush and 

 murmur of the salmon pool below. 



" A bear hates to be outdone quite as much as 

 does a fox. If you catch him in a trap, he 

 never growls nor fights nor resists, as lynx and 

 otter, and almost all other wild creatures do. 

 He has outwitted you and shown his superiority 

 so often that he is utterly overwhelmed and 

 crushed when you find him, at last, helpless and 

 outdone. He seems to forget all his great strength 

 and his frightful power of teeth and claws. He 

 just lays his head down between his paws, turns 

 his eyes aside, and refuses to look at you or let 

 you see how ashamed he is. That is what you 

 are chiefly conscious of, nine times out of ten, 

 when you find a bear or a fox held fast in your 

 trap, and something of that was certainly in 

 Mooween's look and actions now, as I sat there 

 in his path and enjoyed his confusion. 



