A GREAT DELICACY. 285 
other until a mass of foam runs down on toth 
sides of the mouth. After this it continues its 
rambles, 
Most writers on the habits of this animal have 
stated that the black bear does not eat animal 
food from choice, and never unless pressed by 
hung2r. This we consider a great mistake, for 
in our experience we have found the reverse to 
be the case, and it is well known to our frontier 
farmers that this animal is a great destroyer of 
pigs, hogs, calves, and sheep, for the sake of 
which we have even known it to desert the pecan 
groves in Texas. At the same time, as will have 
been seen by our previous remarks, its principal 
food generally consists of berries, roots, and other 
vegetable substances. It is very fond also of 
fish, and during one of our expeditions to Maine 
and New Brunswick, we found the inhabitants 
residing near the coast unwilling to eat the flesh 
of the animal on account of its fishy taste. In 
our western forests, however, the bear feeds on 
so many nuts and well tasted roots and berries, 
that its meat is considered a great delicacy, and 
in the city of New York we have generally 
found its market price three or four times more 
than the best beef per pound. The fore-paw of 
the bear when cooked presents a striking re 
sernblance to the hand of a child or young per 
