BEARS. 
3i 
in their ways, being exceedingly demonstrative and ridiculous. Though hard to 
kill, they are very soft as to their feelings, and make the most hideous outcries 
when shot at—not only the wounded animal, but also its companions. It has 
frequently been stated by sportsmen that if a bear be wounded he immediately 
attacks his companions, thinking that they have caused his injuries. But I think 
this is not quite correct, at least in the majority of cases. I have observed that a 
wounded bear’s companions generally rush to him to ascertain the cause of his 
grief, joining the while in his cries, when he, not being in the best of humours, lays 
hold of them, and a fight ensues, really brought about by the affectionate but ill- 
timed solicitude of his friends.” 
In commenting upon the latter portion of this passage, Mr. Blanford supports 
the old view that the attack is made directly by the wounded animal; and one 
instance is mentioned where he saw a female when wounded immediately commence 
an unprovoked attack upon her two half-grown cubs, which were severely cuffed. 
In another case, when two full-grown bears were both hit, they stood up and fought 
on their hind-legs, till one fell dead from the effects of the bullet. 
Although generally timid in their nature, sloth-bears will on rare occasions 
attack human beings without provocation, and when they do so, fighting both with 
teeth and talons, and inflicting terrible wounds, more especially on the head and 
face. These attacks generally occur when a bear is accidentally stumbled upon by 
a native wandering in the jungle, and are then due more to timidity than to 
ferocity. Mr. Sanderson is of opinion that a bear, being a slow-witted animal, is 
more likely to attack in such a case than is a tiger or a leopard, which more rapidly 
collect their senses, and are thus less embarrassed by the sudden and unexpected 
encounter. Mr. Blanford states that when thus surprised a sloth-bear will some¬ 
times merely knock a man over with its paws, although thereby inflicting severe 
wounds; but on other occasions it seizes and holds in its paws its unfortunate 
victim, who is not released until bitten and clawed to death. Females with young, 
and occasionally solitary bears, will at times make unprovoked attacks of great 
ferocity. The idea that sloth-bears hug their victims is scouted by both writers. 
Sloth-bears are usually hunted in India either by driving them from cover 
with a line of beaters, or by the sportsman going to their caves or lairs among the 
rocks at daybreak, and shooting them as they return home from their nightly 
wanderings. Mr. Sanderson says that in the forests of Mysore he was in the habit 
of shooting bears by following them with trackers; and that, as they seldom left 
off feeding before nine in the morning, it was generally possible by starting at 
daybreak to come up with them before they had retired to rest for the day. If, 
however, the party did not succeed in this, the bears would generally be found 
lying asleep under the shade of a clump of bamboos, or a rock, as there were no 
caves in the district into which they could disappear. Elephants, it appears, have 
a great dislike to bears, and on this account, as well as from the rocky nature of 
the country generally inhabited by these animals, are but rarely employed in bear¬ 
shooting. Mr. Sanderson was also in the habit of hunting bears with large dogs, 
and despatching them when brought to bay with his hunting-knife; and in this 
exciting sport was very successful. 
Regarding the sport afforded by the sloth-bear, the same hunter observes that 
