AMERICAN BLACK BEAR. 
189 
forest fruits, that form what in the western States is called mast , attract 
its attention. The Bear is then seen rambling singly through the woods 
to gather this harvest, not forgetting, meanwhile, to rob every bee-tree it 
meets with, Bears being expert at this operation. 
The Black Bear is a capital climber, and now and then houses itself in 
the hollow trunk of some large tree for weeks together during the winter, 
when it is said to live by sucking its paws. 
At one season, the Bear may be seen examining the lower part of the 
trunk of a tree for several minutes with much attention, at the same time 
looking around, and snuffing the air. It then rises on its hind-legs, 
approaches the trunk, embraces it with the fore-legs, and scratches the 
bark with its teeth and claws for several minutes in continuance. Its 
jaws clash against each other until a mass of foam runs down on both 
sides of the mouth. After this it continues its rambles. 
The female Black Bear generally brings forth two cubs at a time, 
although, as we have heard, the number is sometimes three or four. The 
period of gestation is stated to be from six to seven weeks, but is mentioned 
as one hundred days by some authors. When born the young are exceed- 
ingly small, and if we may credit the accounts of hunters with whom we 
have conversed on the subject, are not larger than kittens. They are 
almost invariably brought forth in some well concealed den, or great 
hollow tree, and so cautious is the dam in selecting her place of accouch- 
ment, that it is extremely difficult to discover it, and consequently very 
rarely that either the female or her cubs are seen until the latter have 
obtained a much larger size than when born, are able to follow their dam, 
and can climb trees with facility. 
Most writers on the habits of this animal have stated that the Black 
Bear does not eat animal food from choice, and never unless pressed by 
hunger. This we consider a great mistake, for in our experience we have 
found the reverse to be the case, and it is well known to our frontier 
farmers that this animal is a great destroyer of pigs, hogs, calves, and 
sheep, for the sake of which we have even known it to desert the pecan 
groves in Texas. At the same time, as will have been seen by our previous 
remarks, its principal food generally consists of berries, roots, and other 
vegetable substances. It is very fond also of fish, and during one of our 
expeditions to Maine and New Brunswick, we found the inhabitants 
residing near the coast unwilling to eat the flesh of the animal on account 
of its fishy taste. In our western forests, however, the Bear feeds on so 
many nuts and well tasted roots and berries, that its meat is considered a 
great delicacy, and in the city of New York we have generally found its 
market price three or four times more than the best beef per pound. The 
