156 FUR FACTS 



carefully looking, however, everywhere but in the direction of the 

 other bears; all of which is vastly amusing to one familiar with the 

 keenness of his senses and the alertness of his attention, and the 

 practical impossibility of getting within seeing or hearing distance 

 of him without his knowing it. Meanwhile the bears already on the 

 ground play their part in the comedy with all the good will in the 

 world. They have undoubtedly been aware of the approach of the 

 newcomer long before any human watcher of the scene could have 

 suspected it, but they give no outward sign of being aware of the 

 new arrival. If, however, the intruder had happened to be a grizzly, 

 they would undoubtedly have taken to their heels or taken refuge in 

 the nearest tree with loud puffings and snortings some minutes be- 

 fore he reached the scene. Yet these same bears, once they have fed 

 their fill, will frequently go to playing together as one never sees 

 the grizzlies do. Two of them will stand up and wrestle, roll each 

 other over and over, chase each other about, and generally have a 

 fine romp. As a rule, however, this sort of play takes place between 

 bears of different sizes, and the smaller one sometimes gets well 

 thrown about and mauled. 



The black bear's habits of hibernation are less rigid and ap- 

 parently less developed than the grizzly's. To begin with, they are 

 far less industrious in providing themselves with a den, and less 

 particular in having it weather-proof and well concealed. The grizzly 

 habitually finds some natural cave or shelter in the rocks, high up in 

 the mountains, often above the snow line. This he prepares for 

 occupancy by raking into it whatever he can find in the way of 

 leaves or dried grasses, and sometimes stops up with earth and stones 

 such holes or openings as would expose the interior to the weather. 

 The black bear is far less particular. Any old place that offers him 

 some fair promise of protection and privacy seems good enough for 

 him. He dens up at much lower altitudes, goes into winter quarters 

 later and comes out much earlier. One of his favorite stunts is to 

 dig a hole under the butt end of a fallen tree, rake a few leaves into 

 the opening and then crawl in himself. Sometimes when the tree is 

 a good-sized one and the roots hold the butt a little clear of the ground 

 he is saved the entire trouble of digging and makes a sort of nest in 

 the space beneath the trunk. At other times, he will dig a hole in 

 the soft ground and, of course, occasionally uses caves or other 

 natural retreats if he happens to find them handy. The time for den- 

 ning up varies with the locality and weather and throughout the 

 northwest is anywhere from November 1st to January 1st. 



