THE BEAR TEIBB. 85 



Like the beaver, it will visit both the salt water and the fresh. 

 Some otters have been observed swimming in the sea, and bring- 

 ing their booty to the shore. This animal, on his fishing excur- 

 sions, will swim two miles together, and always against the stream, 

 that when his belly is full the stream may carry him down again 

 to his lodging : this is invariably near the water, and is artificially 

 built with boughs, sprigs, and sticks, couched together in excellent 

 order. The entrance to its abode is always under water. It pro- 

 duces four young ones at a time. 



THE BEAR TRIBE. 



The Bears and their allies are mostly heavy, and walk 

 with the whole foot placed flat on the ground, unlike the cats, dogs, 

 etc., who walk with merely their paws or toes. All the bears are 

 omnivorous, that is, they c!»n eat either animal or vegetable food ; 

 so that a leg of mutton, a pot of honey, a potato, or an apple, are 

 each equally acceptable. In different countries the bear varies in 

 color; there are, therefore, three kinds, the white, the black, and 

 the brown. There is something very unsightly in the bear ; it is 

 covered with a thick shaggy fur, and looks like a large shapeless 

 lump. Bears vary in size ; some are about the size of a mastiff, 

 and others as large as a small heifer. Their skull is thin but 

 firm, and they are provided with a large supply of brain, in con- 

 sequence of which they are probably so sagacious. 



The Black Bear is found, in considerable numbers, is 

 the northern districts of America. In size and form he approaches 

 nearest to the Brown Bear; but his color is a uniform shining 

 jet black, except on the muzzle, where it is fawn-colored; on the 

 lips and sides of the mouth it is almost grey. The hair, except 

 on the muzzle, is long, and straight, and is less shaggy than in 

 most other species. The forehead has a slight elevation, and the 

 muzzle is elongated, and somewhat flattened above. The young 

 ones, however, are first of a bright ash color, which gradually 

 changes into a deep brown, and ends by becoming a deep black. 

 The American Black Bear lives a solitary life in forests and un- 

 cultivaled deserts, and subsists on fruits, and on the young sLoots 



