THE BLACK BEAR OF MUSKOKA 89 



his School of the Woods^ was undoubtedly Ursus 

 americanus. The circumstances, however, were 

 so extraordinary that perhaps I may be excused 

 repeating them. 



" Close beside me was a fallen log ; on my 

 right hand was another ; and the two had fallen 

 so as to make the sides of a great angle, their 

 tops resting together against the hill. Between the 

 two were several huge trees growing among the 

 rocks and under-brush. I climbed upon one of 

 these fallen trees and moved along it cautiously, 

 some eight or ten feet above the ground, looking 

 down searchingly for a stray brown feather to 

 guide me to my lost partridge. 



" Suddenly the log under my feet began to rock 

 gently. I stopped in astonishment, looking for 

 the cause of the strange shaking ; but there was 

 nothing on the log beside myself. After a 

 moment I went on again, looking again for my 

 partridge. Again the log rocked, heavily this 

 time, almost throwing me off. Then I noticed 

 the tip of the other log, which lay balanced across 

 a great rock, was under the tip of my log and 

 was being prised up by something on the other 

 end. Some animal was there, and it flashed upon 

 me suddenly that he was heavy enough to lift 



