THE BLACK BEAR. 53 
In December, 1893, I had particularly good sport in Florida, 
bagging four bears and chasing several others which I did not 
bag. Bears were unusually numerous in that locality where I was 
hunting, owing to the great abundance of palmetto berries and to 
the presence in the vicinity of two or three good water holes. 
The following extracts from my diary will give some idea of bear 
hunting in Florida under favorable conditions : — 
Dec. 8, 1893: To-day our shooting party consisted of three 
guns, — Count A., Mr. C., and myself, — having with us the usual 
outfit of men, horses, and hounds. To hunt bears luxuriously in 
Florida the outfit should consist of good saddle horses (used to the 
woods and not gun-shy), good dogs, and two men, one to follow 
the hounds and the other to act as general utility man, take mes- 
sages, and carry the lunch, water, etc., while the ‘‘ guns” of the 
party devote their entire attention and energies to heading off the 
bear or getting to the place where the dogs are baying him, 
the latter probably in some thick scrub where it is impossible to 
ride and where the hunter must dismount and push his way in on 
foot. 
Shortly after turning the hounds loose a chorus of exultant yells 
told us that they had found a fresh trail and were off. The wild 
shouts of Gale cheering on the dogs assured us that the bear 
had been started or ‘* jumped.” He ran for about a mile and then 
bayed in a very thick live-oak hummock. But before any one could 
get to him he was off again and did not stop until he had run at 
least two miles or more, when he again stopped in a thick, high 
scrub, and evidently made up his mind that he had run far enough. 
The bear was in a very thick place where the palmetto and small 
oak trees were higher than my head in places. I pushed my way 
up to where the dogs were holding their concert ; a short recitative 
by the leading hound being invariably followed by a full chorus, a 
dog called Blue carrying the high tenor part in fine style. When- 
ever there was a lull in the performance I could hear the bear pant- 
ing heavily not more than fifteen or twenty feet from me, but 
perfectly concealed by the thick scrub. Occasionally his bearship 
