BEARS. 19 
the mountains, the thickets of the vast plains, and every creek, river, and bay 
or bottom. At the present day its habitat is, however, confined to some portions 
of the various ranges of mountains south of the St. Lawrence River, the Great 
Lakes, and, east of the Mississippi River, to parts of those portions of the 
Mississippi River and its tributaries which are yet unsettled, and where it has 
been able to escape destruction from hunters. Some few are yet found in the 
dense thickets of the Colorado, Trinity, and Brazor rivers.” As with other bears, 
the male of this species is much larger than the female; when full grown the 
former, according to Colonel Alexander, will stand about 3 feet in height, and 
will often turn the scale at from 600 to 700 lbs. 
According to Dr. Merriam, the food of the American black bear “consists not 
only of mice and other small mammals, turtles, frogs, and fish, but also, and 
largely, of ants and their eggs, bees and their honey, cherries, blackberries, rasp- 
berries, blueberries, and various other fruits, vegetables, and roots. He sometimes 
makes devastating raids upon the barn-yard, slaying and devouring sheep, calves, 
pigs, and poultry.” Another writer, Mr. C. C. Ward, states, as the result of his 
own experience, that the black bear “is growing more carnivorous and discontented 
with a diet of herbs. Assuredly, he is growing bolder. He is also developing a 
propensity to destroy more than he can eat, and it is not improbable that his 
posterity may cease to be frugi-carnivorous. It is fortunate that an animal of the 
strength and ferocity which he displays when aroused seldom attacks man. The 
formation of his powerful jaws and terrible canine teeth are well adapted to seize 
and hold his prey, and his molars are strong enough to crush the bones of an ox. 
His great strength, however, lies in his fore-arms and paws. His mode of attacking 
his prey is not to seize it with his teeth, but to strike terrific blows with his fore- 
paws. His weakness is for pork, and to obtain it he will run any risk. When the 
farmers, after suffering severe losses at his hands, become unusually alert, he retires 
to the depths of the forest and solaces himself with a young moose, caribou, or 
deer. He seldom or never attacks a full-grown moose, but traces of desperate 
encounters, in which the cow-moose has battled for her offspring, are frequently 
met with in the woods.” Dr. Merriam states that the black bears visit the Adiron- 
dacks from the wooded districts about twenty miles to the westward in Lewis 
County during the autumn, crossing a fertile and well-cultivated valley. They 
are good climbers, but, from their weight, are unable to ascend to the tree-tops or 
climb far out on the branches, although they will ascend straight stems for a 
considerable height after honey. They are also excellent swimmers, many being 
killed while swimming in the lakes. We likewise learn that, as a rule, the black 
bear hibernates, although its torpor is not deep, and the time of entering upon 
the winter repose depends upon the severity of the season, and the amount of 
food-supply. And it appears that the males will remain active in any weather, 
so long as they can find abundance of food. The female is, however, compelled to 
seek shelter sooner on account of her prospective family. The winter den of a 
black bear is generally a partial excavation under the upturned roots of 
a fallen tree, or beneath a pile of logs, with perhaps a few bushes and leaves 
scraped together by way of a bed, while to the first snowstorm is left the 
task of completing the roof and filling the remaining chinks. Not unfrequently 
