CHAPTER X. 

 BEARS. 



CERTAINLY these animals are a class distinct to themselves, on account of 

 the curious formation of the joints in their hind-legs, their unusual shaped 

 feet and snouts, and the resemblance their tracks bear to those made by 

 the human foot when unfettered by civilised man's handiwork. 



To look at a bear when groping about amongst logs and stones, search- 

 ing for those larvae and insectidas in which his soul delights, you naturally 

 note how slow, methodical, and even lazy he appears ! Or should you 

 surprise him up a wild cherry or apricot tree, how deliberate and careful 

 he is as to where he places each foot while descending, stern foremost, 

 into the jaws of death, held open in the hands of his great enemy, man ! 

 Or, again, amidst the Indian corn just ripening, what toothsome morsels 

 he selects from the parent stem, ruthlessly broken down, and what ruin 

 marks his track ! Amongst a swarm of angry bees, too, what callousness 

 he shows while being attacked at his vulnerable points ; intent on the 

 luscious honey, he heeds nothing but man, and even he must almost poke 

 him in the ribs with the muzzle of his rifle to announce his arrival in a 

 sufficiently remarkable manner ! How anxious he is to get away with a 

 whole skin, whenever that broad snout of his announces, with its wonder- 

 ful twistings, that danger is near, and yet, how many are the sturdy hill- 

 men who are carrying to their graves scars and cicatrices on various parts 

 of their bodies, from the crown of the head to the sole of the foot, all 

 inflicted by our slow, methodical, lazy, deliberate, careful, rash, destruc- 

 tive, luxurious, callous, fearless, timid, courageous friend in the black or 

 brown coat ! 



And can't he travel, too ! Just surprise him asleep at the foot of some 

 mighty pine, or in a corrie below the ground the ibex loves. Why, he is 

 gone before you can cock your rifle, leaving you rubbing your eyes and 

 wondering which way he did go. His sight is bad, and if his nose were 

 no better, he must have disappeared from the face of the earth long ago. 

 That pig-like flexible organ is his sentry and watchman, and he seems to 

 trust it as infallible, thus falling a victim to misplaced confidence at times. 



The maternal instinct is well developed, and nothing is more interesting 

 than lying concealed above a bear and her cubs while feeding below. The 

 way she turns over the stones, roots out the luscious grubs for the 

 youngsters, and looks out for danger as well, supplies much worth noting. 

 When surprised, she will cover their retreat, and return to the rescue 

 should one of them get nabbed. 



