URSUS AMERICANUS. 
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young ones, lying asleep just back of her front paws. From where 
I stood, about six feet distant, they did not seem to exceed six 
inches in length, were a dirty whitish color, and appeared entirely 
bare of hair. In about ten days their coats began to show and were 
of a grayish tint, which gradually passed through the various shades 
until they became a brownish black. It was just forty days before 
the first one’s eyes opened, and two days after the second followed 
suit. From that time forward I watched very closely to ascertain the 
exact time that would elapse before the young ones would leave the 
nest, and on the seventy-first day after birth, when the mother, as 
was her habit, came to the grating to be fed, one of the youngsters 
left the nest and followed her. So soon as she found it out she im- 
mediately drew it gently back, and on its second attempt, she cuffed 
it soundly, which put a stop to its wandering propensity. After a 
few days she allowed them to wander about at will provided no one 
was immediately in front of the den; but so soon as a visitor put in 
an appearance, they were driven back into the nest and not allowed 
to emerge until the strangers were out of sight. For some time she 
always suckled them in one position, lying over and completely cov- 
ering them by stretching flat on her belly with her legs drawn up 
under her and her head tucked down between her front paws. As 
they grew older and began to run about she would sit on her 
haunches, lazily lean back against the wall, take a cub on each fore 
arm and hold them up to her breast until they were satisfied. They 
soon became expert climbers, taking advantage of the slightest ine- 
qualities of the stone walls and the cracks between the heavy oaken 
planks to reach the ceiling of the den on three sides, whilst the 
grating in front served capitally for their skylarking. Occasionally 
they would have a regular sparring bout, standing erect, feinting, 
countering, and making use of many of the tricks of old votaries of 
the P. R. These frolics would generally end in a clinch, fall, and a 
regular rough and tumble fight, when the mother would abruptly put 
a stop to it, by suddenly knocking both ot the contestants completely 
