THE LIFE OF MAMMALS 
chiefly, and watching the hole intently all the time. While this is going on 
the squirrel sometimes runs out between the legs of the bear and makes 
for another hole. Possibly he is caught by a quick pounce. If he escapes, 
excavations begin immediately at the new hole. The bear digs for a few 
strokes, and then stops to poke his nose into the hole and sniff. Finally 
his efforts are successful, and the luckless squirrel is devoured.” 
No wonder they are given to tearing down caches! Carrion 
is another important resource; and when a large carcass is 
found they scrape a shallow pit near by and half bury, half 
cover it for future use —a practice of which hunters take 
advantage both for sport and to poison the animals for the sake 
of getting their always marketable skins. The polar bear, in 
fact, must depend largely on the washing ashore of dead ani- 
mals. This and other far northern species, however, hunt for 
live walruses and seals, traveling in winter scores of miles 
across the sea ice in search of them, but in summer finding them 
more conveniently. ‘The seal is basking on the ice. The 
bear at a proper distance quictly entcrs the water swimming 
toward its prey, keeping well below, and only occasionally allow- 
ing the nose to touch the surface sufficiently to catch a breath. 
At last it rises just beneath and in front of the seal, whose 
capture is certain.” They also seize porpoises and other small 
cetaceans, and quantitics of fish. 
Fish, indeed, form a staple article of food wherever they can 
be obtained. The most businesslike fishing seems to be that 
for salmon by the bears of Alaska and Kamchatka, whose 
paths along the banks of favorite rivers are beaten roads. Both 
Guillemard*” and Osgood * speak of this, and describe the 
clever fishing, the latter as follows, referring to the streams 
crowded all summer with migratory salmon: — 
“Tn fishing the bears do not get all their prey in shallow water or on 
bars and riffles in small streams, as is generally supposed, but often go into 
comparatively deep water in large streams. Practically all the 
fishing is done at night or very early in the morning; though 
their habits in this respect have doubtless changed in recent decades, 
214 
Fishing. 
