162 
THE BLACK BEAR. 
smooth, solid, and very sharp-pointed post 
fixed in the ground, rising about a foot abo''® 
the surface, at the bottom of a pit dug 
the purpose. The pit is carefully covered 
with sods, and a small rope, with an elastic 
bugbear, is stretched across the track of tb^ 
animal. As soon as the bear touches the rop^ 
the wooden bugbear starts loose, and the 
frighted beast, attempting to escape by fligb*' 
falls upon the spike in the pit with such for^® 
that he is killed. 
By another method still more ingenious, tb® 
inhabitants of the mountains make this forOi’' 
dable animal become his own destroyer. Tb^/ 
fiisten a very heavy block to a rope, tern^]' 
nating at the other end in a loop. This i 
laid near a steep precipice, in the path wbi‘^'’ i 
the bear is accustomed to take. On gettio^ 
his neck into the noose, and finding that b^ 
cannot proceed for the clog, he takes it 
in a rage, and to free himself from it thro''^’ 
