THE BLACK BEAR. 51 
the scales at over five hundred pounds. Last year I carried scales 
with me and weighed several bears which I killed, but, unfortu- 
nately, none of them were very large. A comparatively small 
female weighed 350 pounds, and a male 411 pounds. This last 
bear was fat, but not as large as some I have killed. The largest 
bear I ever saw in Florida stood up in the scrub within twenty yards 
of me, and I had a fair shot at him, but for the first and only time 
in my life a Winchester rifle cartridge failed to explode. Before 
I had time to push the lever and throw in another cartridge he 
dropped out of sight in the high palmetto, and, although the dogs 
chased him for several miles, he swam the river and I never saw 
him again. 
A Black Bear will not attack a man unless badly wounded or with 
cubs, although, as the exception proves the rule, one large fellow 
charged one of my men, who rode ahead of him in open ground and 
tried to turn him by tickling him with small shot. 
Bears hibernate in Florida as they do elsewhere in North America, 
usually remaining hidden from about the last of December until 
March. In the spring they hunt for crabs along the shore and eat 
the young ‘‘ palmetto cabbage” and the seeds of the mangrove, 
called ‘* mangrove buds.” In June they hunt the beaches for turtles’ 
eggs, of which they are very fond. In the fall they subsist princi- 
pally on the palmetto berries, which grow in great abundance in the 
sandy lands bordering the ocean beach, and if not disturbed they 
remain in such places until it is time for them to house up for the 
winter. They then become very fat and are easily brought to bay 
by the dogs, generally running but a short distance. The flesh of a 
comparatively young bear is very palatable when properly cooked, 
and the fat makes a very satisfactory substitute for lard and is much 
esteemed by the Indians as well as by many of the white settlers. 
Good sport may be had hunting bears in Florida, but to hunt them 
successfully one must have a really good lot of hounds. One or 
two at least must be thoroughly trained ‘‘ bear dogs.” Bear dogs 
are not easy to find; still, one may be had now and then by paying 
a high price for him. There are plenty of dogs that will “take” 
