About Bears 327 



known shot, we found ourselves in the position of 

 having to follow an animal wounded by the latter. 

 To make a long story short, we came on a black 

 mass which could be none other than our friend. 

 He was above us, when, according to all theory, 

 one should never take a shot at bear ; but he was 

 so still that my friend, who was the owner, said he 

 would risk it, and I was to reserve my fire. In 

 the thick undergrowth it was impossible to dis- 

 tinguish head from tail. He raised his rifle bang, 

 bang, answered by " Wough, wough," and the bear 

 was on us. My friend, with extraordinary facility, 

 precipitated himself into a thorn bush and un- 

 covered my fire, but it was only my second barrel 

 that luckily caught him in the head and laid him 

 at my feet, so near that I could have kicked him. 



Let us now have a look at the red bear in his 

 loftier solitudes. This beast rarely comes below 

 8000 feet. He sleeps through the winter, but 

 when the spring comes he may sometimes be seen 

 moving about the fans of snow in search of the 

 bodies of ibex that have been killed by avalanches. 

 At this season he has been known to kill cattle 

 and goats ; and this is the only time that lapses 

 take place in what must otherwise be considered 

 a blameless and estimable life, for at all others he 

 is content with the simple life and a vegetarian 

 diet. 



