898 
THE BEAR. 
bear rears upon his hind-legs, the man gives 
him several quick stabs, and at the same 
time keeps him at a distance with his 
guarded arm, so as to prevent him from 
giving the dreaded hug, or still more dreaded 
kick, by wdiich it is able to beat down its 
antagonist with one blow\ 
“ A black bear with a white collar or ring 
around its neck is also found in Sweden, 
but it is neither so large nor so common as 
the brown bear. A w 7 hitish bear was for¬ 
merly found in great abundance in Syria, 
and was a very dangerous animal; but it 
has now become comparatively rare. It 
prefers flesh to vegetables, but occasionally 
commits great ravages in the fields of pulse 
and grain. It is sometimes a reddish brown, 
sometimes almost white. The bears men¬ 
tioned in Holy Scripture were probably of 
this variety, as they seem to have been much 
more formidable than the common bear of 
Europe. A brown bear is found also in 
Hindostan; but very little is known of its 
habits. 
“ America affords several varieties of 
bears, of which the black is the most common. 
Your friend Bruin is a fine example of this 
