112 
ALMOST HUMAN 
Then the older one is restored to his old surroundings, and, in delight 
at the change, the two come together and exchange views upon the whole 
proceedings. They then settle down to life together. 
Once there was a great black bear to whom they wished to give a 
mate. A beautiful and valuable black she-bear was procured, but for 
some reason the preliminaries of introduction were dispensed with on 
this occasion. The newcomer was merely placed in the other one’s 
cage. She had scarcely time to look about her or even to move from 
the doorway, before the rightful occupant of the cage disputed her 
entrance. He rushed at her and caught her in a deadly embrace. She 
fought valiantly for freedom, and as the two were very evenly matched, 
at first, a finer fight than any human boxers ever made was soon in 
progress. The alarm was immediately raised, and every available man 
in the gardens was assisting in the endeavor to separate the combatants. 
Rakes, goads, pieces of quartering, were powerless to make any impres- 
sion, and then the hose was requisitioned. Bears do not like water, 
especially when it comes at them full force from a hose. Indeed, a 
hose will usually stop any fight in the animal world as effectively as it 
will put an end to a riot among men. But the hose this day might just 
as well never have been touched. The two danced about the cage in 
an attempt to avoid the steady, suffocating stream, but that was all. 
The old bear was determined that it should be a fight to a finish, and 
after a tremendous battle, there came a moment when the she-bear 
ceased to struggle in the fearful grip that crushed her. He stood still 
for a few moments awaiting further movements, and whenever she 
showed the faintest sign of life he squeezed a little tighter until he was 
perfectly sure there would be no further resistance to his clasp. Then 
he let her go. She fell, limp and dead, at his feet. Before any hope of 
getting her away could be realised, the bloodthirsty cannibal had begun 
to eat the victim of his hate, and when at last the remains were secured 
they had been frightfully mauled. Since that day no risks have been 
taken in introducing partners. Introductions follow the strictest laws 
of etiquette known in the animal world, and the free and easy methods 
of marriage shops are strictly tabooed. 
IN THE BEAR PIT. 
The bear pit at the Melbourne Zoo has been closed down for some 
years. It was a source of endless amusement to the public; indeed, it 
was the prime attraction there, and since these creatures have been 
enclosed in ordinary cages they have lost most of their powers of inter- 
