164 PRAIRIE AND FOREST. 
ever, behind the shoulder, very low down, is the favorite 
aim with me. In these cross-shots, if obtainable, you al- 
ways have more to shoot at, and the regions of the heart 
are reached nearer the surface. The butt of the ear, a lit- 
tle backward, if close enough to make certain, is another 
deadly point; but the size of this delicate and mortal place 
is small, and should never be chosen beyond thirty yards. 
The head-shot can, with conical bullets, easily be perform- 
ed; but a spherical bullet, especially from a small-bore rifle, 
from the wedge-shape of the cranium, is very apt to glance 
off without injuring more than the skin. 
In hunting bears with dogs, the commonest cur that has 
pluck enough to snap at his heels is the best animal for the 
purpose. The bear gets worried, then cross, and ultimate- 
ly ascends the first tree that his judgment tells him is suit- 
able, resting most frequently on the soonest-reached branch, 
unless the hunter be seen or heard; if so, then the highest 
foot of timber sufficiently strong to support him will be 
selected. On such occasions it has been known for him to 
ascend too high for the strength of the limb, when, the 
bough breaking, both came tumbling to the earth. Al 
though such a rapid and lofty descent would certainly de- 
stroy a man, Bruin will arise uninjured, shake himself, and 
trot off as if nothing had happened. 
The vitality of the bear is immense. His powers of de- 
struction when wounded are equally so. So, gentle reader, 
if it should be your fortune to go bear- hunting, pray be 
careful in your approach to them when wounded. A sports- 
man’s maxim, that should never be forgotten, is, “Always 
load your gun before you move from where it was dis- 
charged, and never let the excitement of the moment per- 
mit you to hurry when performing this useful duty.” 
A great many bears have been killed with the knife only, 
but the person who performs so dangerous a feat must 
