THE LARGE BEARS. 



207 



been torn from that part of the person, the skin 

 was not broken nor the man injured bej'ond some 

 sHght bruises. He explained that the blow, throw- 

 ing him forward on his stomach, had knocked the 

 breath and consciousness out of him. When he 

 recovered his senses the bear was smelling at him, 

 and, knowing the consec[uences of moxing, he ki)- 

 still. I have never heard a more striking instance 

 of presence of mind and nerve." — Dodge: F/aiiis of 

 the Great J Vest. 



The Brown Bear ( Ursus arcios), although 

 at the present day greatly restricted in range 

 as compared with what he was formerly, 

 nevertheless still inhabits a considerable area, 

 and one may say that he is to be met with here 

 and there throughout the whole of the main- 

 land of the Old A\'orld north of the Atlas and 

 the Himalayas. In civilized countries he has 

 been driven to the mountains. 



He is a large plump animal, which may 

 attain the length of 7 feet and a weight 

 of 550 lbs. It will be understood that a 

 species distributed o\'er so wide a geographical 

 range as this is must present a number of 

 local varieties more or less different from one 

 another. Hunters and species-makers have 

 accordingly not spared themseh'es the trouble 

 of distino'uishino- a considerable number of 

 species, regarding which all that can be said 

 in a general way is that the size of the animals 

 is the less the further south their home lies. 

 The bears of the Pyrenees, the Atlas, and 

 Syria cannot rival in size those of Norway, 

 Russia, and Kamchatka. 



I will not give here a minute description ot 

 our common bear, which is known to e\-eryone, 

 and which has been depicted b)' Specht (Plate 

 XIII.) in a manner that cannot be surpassed. 

 The family shown in the plate referred to has 

 established itself in a wild region amongst 

 rocks at the foot of a large tir-tree. The 

 mother observes with watchful eye the sports 

 of her young ones. The plump little cubs 

 are wrestling- with each other; the one is 

 rollino- on the o-round while the other is wad- 



o o 



dling up to him on his hind-legs, just as old 



bears do when they are making ready for an 

 attack. 



The brown she-bear brings forth two or 

 three young ones during the severest winter's 

 cold, usually towards the end of January. 

 I he little bears are \ery amiable creatures, 

 and in the highest degree comical. Clowns 

 in every respect, clumsy and yet supple, 

 always ready lor fun and frolic, good-humoured 

 with every one, docile to a certain point, the\' 

 yet always exhibit a certain egoistic independ- 

 ence, which later in life becomes chanoed into 



o 



sulkiness. The attachment of the mother 

 towards them is without bounds. For several 

 weeks she ne\-er lea\-es them for an instant, 

 remaining without any food in the dark retreat 

 which she had chosen out as the place ot her 

 delivery. She teaches them to walk, to climb, 

 and to swim, and defends them with tury e\"en 

 at the risk of her life. But though she over- 

 whelms them with caresses, keeps them warm, 

 licks them, and submits to all their teasing, 

 yet she does not fail to punish them when 

 she thinks that necessary. A good blow with 

 the foot, a box on the ear, and even a slight 

 bite are among the ordinary means ot educa- 

 tion which she does not spare. It is e\en 

 asserted that bears two or three years old are 

 employed to educate their younger brothers 

 and sisters. Such teachers are called by the 

 Russians " Pastun. " 



I cannot asree with some recent authors 

 in denying to the bear wiliness, attachment, 

 affectionateness, and intelligence. The young 

 bear is, on the contrary, wily, intelligent, 

 shrewd, and devoted to his comrades. But 

 why should he be attached to man, who keeps 

 him in confinement and treats him to blows 

 as soon as he shows a disposition to live alter 

 his own fashion? Shrewdness and a power 

 of observation belong to the bear in good 

 measure. In the course of a ^-oyage which 

 we ourselves made to the North we happened 

 to ha^•e on board a bear six months old which 

 had shortly before been caught in Russia. 

 He yielded only to violence, and would not 



