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One curious detail in the physiology of the Bear is the extraordi- 
nary smallness of the young at birth, when compared with the bulk 
of the parents, for they are not larger than rats. At the age 
of five years they are able to reproduce their kind. The dura- 
tion of their life has not been positively ascertained. Tschudi 
relates that a Bear was kept at Berne for forty-seven years, and 
that a female had young at the age of thirty-one years. 
The Collared Bear and the American Black Bear being some- 
what peculiar in their nature and habits, we will furnish a few 
details, so as to give an idea of their mode of life. 
The Binged, Collared, or Siberian Bear owes its name to a 
large white ring which traverses its shoulders and fades away 
on the chest. This characteristic, however, is not possessed of j 
any scientific value, for in youth many of this family show 
it more or less. The Siberian Bear is much more formidable 
than the European variety. In the gloomy and cold countries 
which it inhabits, the vegetation is altogether insufficient to satisfy 
its appetite ; it must therefore, from sheer necessity, fall back 
upon some kind of animal food. It will also feed on fish, which 
it catches cleverly, and on carcasses thrown on the seashore. 
It hunts the Beindeer, and will, even without provocation, 
attack man. The inhabitants of Kamtschatka wage a war of 
extermination against this animal. 
The American Black Bear, on the contrary, is naturally one 
of the least offensive animals. It has little taste for flesh, — even 
when hungry, if a choice is offered between animal food and fruit, 
it does not hesitate in selecting the vegetable substance. It swims 
well, and is fond of fish, which it catches skilfully. It seldom 
attacks Man, unless previously provoked by his assaults ; as a rule, 
it prefers seeking safety in flight. It principally makes its abode 
in the hollows of firs and pines, selecting in preference those 
holes which are the highest. Under these circumstances, the Ame- 
ricans capture it by setting fire to the foot of the tree. This 
animal is hunted with great activity, not only to put an end to 
its depredations in the corn-fields, but also for the sake of its flesh, 
fat, and fur, which latter is used for many purposes. The hams 
of the American Bear, when salted and smoked, have deservedly 
a high reputation both in the United States and Europe. 
The second American species, the Grizzly Bear ( JJrsus horri- 
