156 THE BLACK BEAR. 



watch, as he returns, for an enemy. He creeps up, accord- 

 ingly, looking on either side, his caution increasing as he 

 approaches his prey. The hunter, therefore, to outwit him, 

 seeks his trail in the direction in which he has retreated, and 

 conceals himself near it, but at some distance from the carcass. 

 He waits till the sun is setting, when he is almost sure to see 

 the bear come tripping nimbly along, not yet thinking it 

 necessary to employ caution. At this moment a rifle-bullet, 

 placed in his head, deprives him of his intended feast and 

 his life at the same time. 



The black bear possesses wonderful strength — said to be 

 fully equal to that of ten men. Experiments have been tried, 

 in which so many persons have attempted to drag off a cask 

 baited with molasses, or other sweet stuff, secured to a rope, 

 when the bear has carried it away with perfect ease, in spite 

 of their united efforts to draw it from him. 



The most dangerous time to attack a she-bear is in the 

 spring, when she is accompanied by her cubs. If she has 

 time, she will lead them off to a place of safety ; but if not, 

 she will chase the intruder from her domains — and woe betide 

 him if he cannot manage to escape her claws ! Bears are 

 easily taken in traps, baited with small bundles of sticks 

 smeared with molasses. They are hunted in the "fall," when 

 they have become fat with the ample supply of blue and 

 whortle berries or beech-mast on which they have been feed- 

 ing. To obtain the beech -mast, Bruin will frequently climb a 

 tree, and sometimes, like the orang-outang of Eastern seas, 

 will build a rough platform for himself among the upper 

 branches, where lie can lie concealed and munch his food at 

 leisure. The most certain way to obtain the animal in this 

 case is to cut down the tree and shoot him as he reaches the 



