LONDON BEADS 
207 
bath. In spite of her bulk, this bear is really as active 
as a cat, and can go at speed round the narrow circle 
without pausing or missing a step. The next object 
of the bear is to find something to play with in the 
water. Anything will do, but if nothing else is handy, 
she usually produces a nasty bit of stale fish which 
she seems to keep hidden in some handy place, and 
dives for it, coming to the surface with the fish 
balanced on her nose, or on all four paws. If the 
water is still running in she will lie under the spout, 
and let it run through her mouth. But the most 
amusing game in which the writer has seen her 
occupied was played with a large round stone. After 
knocking it into the water, and jumping in to fish it 
out, she took it in her mouth, and endeavoured to 
push it into the hole in the pipe through which the 
water was running. This was a difficult matter, for 
the stone was as large as a tennis-ball, and the pipe 
was not much wider. Several times the stone dropped 
out, though the bear held it delicately between her 
lips, and pushed it out with her tongue. At last she 
sat up, and holding the stone between her fore- paws, 
put it up to the pipe and pushed it in with her nose. 
This was a great triumph, and she retired and con- 
templated the result with much satisfaction. Later, 
being apparently tired of this achievement, she threw 
water at it with her head, and failing to wash it down, 
picked it out with her claws, and went on diving for 
it in the bath. 
Bears do not often have families in the Zoo. They 
