AND AMERICAN RURAL SPORTS. 



93 



dulges, and which, being curious, must be interesting 

 to you. 



At one season, the Black Bear may be seen examining 

 the lower part of the trunk of a tree for several minutes 

 with much attention, at the same time looking around, 

 and snuffing the air, to assure itself that no enemy is near. 

 It then raises itself on its hind legs, approaches the trunk, 

 embraces it with its fore legs, and scratches the bark with 

 its teeth and claws for several minutes in continuance. 

 Its jaws clash against each other, until a mass of foam 

 runs down on both sides of the mouth. After this it con- 

 tinues its rambles. 



In various portions of our country, many of our woods- 

 men and hunters who have seen the bear performing the 

 singular operation just described, imagine that it does so 

 for the purpose of leaving behind it an indication of its 

 size and power. They measure the height at which the 

 scratches are made, and in this manner, can in fact form 

 an estimate of the magnitude of the individual. My 

 own opinion, however, is different. It seems to me that 

 the bear scratches the trees, not for the purpose of show- 

 ing its size or its strength, but merely for that of sharpen- 

 ing its teeth and claws, to enable it better to encounter a 

 rival of its own species during the amatory season. The 

 Wild Boar of Europe clashes its tusks and scrapes the 

 earth with its feet, and the Deer rubs its antlers against the 

 lower part of the stems of young trees or bushes, for the 

 same purpose. 



Being one night sleeping in the house of a friend, I wss 

 awakened by a negro servant bearing a light, who gave 

 me a note, which he said his master had just received. I 

 ran my eye over the paper, and found it to be a communi- 

 cation from a neighbour, requesting my friend and myself 

 to join him as soon as possible, and assist in killing some 

 bears at that moment engaged in destroying his corn. I 

 was not long in dressing you may be assured, and on en- 

 tering the parlour, found my friend equipt, and only wait- 

 ing for some bullets, which a negro was employed in cast- 

 ing. The overseer's horn was heard calling up the negroes 

 from their different cabins. Some were already engaged 

 in saddling our horses, whilst others were gathering all 

 the cur-dogs of the plantation. All was bustle. Before 

 half an hour had elapsed, four stout negro men, armed 

 with axes and knives, and mounted on strong nags of their 

 own, (for you must know, kind reader, that many of our 

 slaves rear horses, cattle, pigs and poultry, which are ex- 

 clusively their own property,) were following us at a 

 round gallop through the woods, as we made directly 

 for the neighbour's plantation, a little more than five 

 miles off. 



The night was none of the most favourable, a drizzling 

 Aa 



rain rendering the atmosphere thick and rather sultry; but 

 as we were well acquainted with the course, we soon reach- 

 ed the house, where the owner was waiting our arrival. 

 There were now three of us armed with guns, half a 

 dozen servants, and a good pack of dogs of all kinds. We 

 jogged on towards the detached field in which the bears 

 were at work. The owner told us that for some days 

 several of these animals had visited his corn, and that a 

 negro who was sent every afternoon to see at what part 

 of the enclosure they entered, had assured him there were 

 at least five in the field that night. A plan of attack was 

 formed: the bars at the usual gap of the fence were to be 

 put down without noise; the men and dogs were to di- 

 vide, and afterwards proceed so as to surround the bears, 

 when, at the sounding of our horns, every one was to 

 charge towards the centre of the field, and shout as loudly 

 as possible, which it was judged would so intimidate the 

 animals, as to induce them to seek refuge upon the 

 dead trees, with which the field was still partially 

 covered. 



The plan succeeded. The horns sounded, the horses 

 gallopped forward, the men shouted, the dogs barked and 

 howled. The shrieks of the negroes were enough to 

 frighten a legion of bears, and those in the field took to 

 flight, so that by the time we reached the centre they were 

 heard hurrying towards the tops of the trees. Fires were 

 immediately lighted by the negroes. The drizzling rain 

 had ceased, the sky cleared, and the glare of the crack- 

 ling fires proved of great assistance to us. The bears had 

 been so terrified, that we now saw several of them crouch- 

 ed at the junction of the larger boughs with the trunks. 

 Two were immediately shot down. They were cubs of 

 no great size, and being already half dead, we left them 

 to the dogs, which quickly despatched them. 



We were anxious to procure as much sport as possible, 

 and having observed one of the bears, which, from its 

 size, we conjectured to be the mother, ordered the negroes 

 to cut down the tree on which it was perched, when it 

 was intended the dogs should have a tug with it, while 

 we should support them, and assist in preventing the bear 

 from escaping by wounding it in one of the hind legs. The 

 surrounding woods now echoed to the blows of the axemen. 

 The tree was large and tough, having been girded more 

 than two years, and the operation of felling it seemed ex- 

 tremely tedious. Ho wever, it began to vibrate at each stroke ; 

 a few inches alone now supported it; and in a short time 

 it came crashing to the ground, in so awful a manner that 

 Bruin must doubtless have felt the shock as severely as we 

 should feel a shake of the globe produced by the sudden 

 collision of a comet. 



The dogs rushed to the charge, and harassed the Bear 



