226 CLASS MAMMALIA. 



its excursions it always follows the same paths, which thus 

 in time become so well beaten, that the Indians follow them 

 to hunt the animal in his retreats. 



In our climates, it is generally the season which deter- 

 mines the epoch and the duration of the retirement of the 

 Bears. The case is not precisely similar with the Black 

 Bears of America. When the winter commences in the 

 most northern parts, the Bears which inhabit these regions 

 abandon them, and betake themselves to a less rigorous cli- 

 mate, where they remain as long as the season obliges them. 

 They choose a shelter, either in the trunk of some hollow 

 tree, or under the projection of some jutting rock. They 

 furnish it with dry leaves, and soon fall into a lethargic 

 sleep, from which nothing awakes them but the return of 

 spring. They descend no further to the south than the la- 

 titude of the Floridas, and to the west they proceed as far 

 as the Pacific Ocean. 



About the month of June, the Black Bears are in heat. 

 During this period they grow excessively thin, and the In- 

 dians will not touch their flesh ; they are also much more 

 dangerous to meet at this time than any other. Gestation 

 lasts about six months, and in January or February the 

 cubs are born. They are about six or eight inches long, 

 covered with hairs, have the eyes closed, and are devoid of 

 teeth. Their nails, however, are very much developed. 

 The gray tint, we have mentioned, of their fur continues for 

 the first year, and they are suckled for six months. The 

 moulting takes place in spring and autumn, and all the 

 hairs fall almost about the same time. 



The hunting of this species was formerly much more pro- 

 ductive than at present. The fur of these animals was 

 formerly preferred by the Indians, but since the Europeans 

 have established themselves in the northern parts of Ame- 

 rica, the hunting of the Bear has been neglected for that 

 of the Castor, The flesh, however, is still much sought 



