292 AUDUBON THE NATURALIST. 
animal, which are arranged in this way: A fun 
nel-shaped space about five feet long is formed 
by driving strong sticks into the ground in two 
converging lines, leaving both the ends open, 
the narrow end being wide enough to admit the 
muzzle of an old musket, and the other extrem- 
ity so broad as to allow the head and shoulders 
of the bear to enter. The gun is then loaded 
and fastened securely, so as to deliver its charge 
facing the wide end of the enclosure. A round 
and smooth stick is now placed behind the stock 
of the gun, and’a cord leading from the trigger 
passed around it, the other end of which, with 
a piece of meat or a bird tied to it (an owl isa 
favourite bait), is stretched in front of the gun, 
so far that the bear can reach the bait with his 
paw. Upon his pulling the meat towards him, 
the string draws the trigger and the animal is 
instantly killed. 
On the coast of Labrador we observed the 
black bear catching fish with great dexterity, 
and the food of these animals in that region 
consisted altogether of the fishes they seized on 
the edge of the water inside the surf. Like the 
Polar bear, the present species swims with ease 
and rapidity, and it is a difficult matter to catch 
a full-grown bear with a skiff, and a dangerous 
adventure to attempt its capture in a canoa, 
which it could easily upset. 
