THE HIMALAYAN BLACK BEAR. 49 



wheat among grains, and mulberries, apricots, and walnuts among fruits, are his favorite food. 

 At times he likes to vary his usual vegetarian diet, and takes to killing sheep, cattle, and 

 ponies ; and, like the rest of his race, he is extremely fond of honey. 



The Black Bear does not thoroughly hibernate like the Snow Bear, but appears to pass 

 a great deal of his time during the cold months in a state of semi-torpor ; occasionally 

 wandering out in search of food, when an unusually mild day thaws his blood, and awakens 

 him to the sense of hunger. 



As already mentioned, this Bear is to be found all along the Himalayas, but it is most 

 plentiful where fields and gardens alternate with thickly wooded hills and ravines. It per- 

 haps exists in greatest numbers in some parts of Kashmir ; and owing to its preference for 

 dense jungles, it is comparatively less subject to destruction by sportsmen than the Snow 

 Bear. Few keen hunters, indeed, devote much time to its chase, as its skin is not much of 

 a trophy, and its pursuit affords but little interest or excitement. 



Occasionally, certainly, the Black Bear proves a formidable antagonist, and I have 

 known more than one British officer killed by them, while one constantly meets with natives 

 who have been terribly mutilated in encounters with one of the species ; but these accidents 

 have usually occurred when the animal has been attacked, or suddenly met with, in thick 

 cover, where the Bear had every advantage. For my own part, I have never seen a Bear 

 charge, although I have shot a good many at different times. 



I never thought it worth while to devote much time to Black Bear shooting, and I have 

 never, since my earlier hunting days, gone out of my way to search for them. When I have 

 come across them accidentally, however, and there was no chance of disturbing nobler 

 game, I have frequently shot them. 



When I first visited Kashmir I was of course anxious to get one, and well remember my 

 disgust at losing the first I ever saw on the Pir Punjal in 1861. I was returning to my tent 

 one evening in April, after a long unsuccessful day, when I suddenly saw a Black Bear 

 feeding on a green flat below us. I stalked carefully down, and having got within fifty yards, 

 bowled him over ; after howling and rolling about for a little, he regained his legs and 

 rushed into the jungle. As he bled plentifully I was in hopes of bagging him, but after a 

 long chase I found that be had crossed a river, and I had to give him up. 



The same year I went out beyond the Shalimar Gardens, on the 2nd of June, to try a 

 place where many Bears were said to resort to feed on the mulberries. Next morning I was 

 out before daylight, and soon saw a Bear returning from his feast. As he leisurely strolled 

 along, he found a bone, and lay down under a rock to gnaw it. This gave me time to stalk 

 to within thirty yards of him. He was nearly straight below me, and I took great pains to 

 shoot him dead, but somehow or other my bullet only grazed him ; I missed with the second 

 barrel, and he went into some jungle, but as he passed an open space I killed him with my 

 single barrel. On skinning him I found that he was literally stuffed with mulberries ! Early 

 next morning I saw a large Bear go into some jungle, so, in the evening, I went to wait for 

 him near the place. Bruin was punctual, and I soon saw him coming towards me. I went 

 to meet him, and got a shot, within about fifteen yards, as he was feeding among some rose 



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