THE HIVING WORLD. 
621 
as a guard for the commissary supplies of a regiment. He proved to be entirely 
trustworthy and captured one or two thievish soldiers, but finally having 
injured a mischievous boy who was trying to pilfer sweets, he was treated like 
other benefactors of the human race and put to death, while having his good 
deeds celebrated in song and story. 
A brown bear has been known to engage in a game of romps with chil¬ 
dren too young to feel fear. A mother living on the edge of a forest missed 
her two young children, and going in search of them found one of them 
mounted on the back of a brown bear , while the other was feeding and hauling 
around its enter¬ 
taining playfellow. 
The bear seemed 
surprised at the 
intrusion of the 
children’s mother, 
but as they left 
him for her, he 
seemed to con¬ 
clude that recess 
was over and 
walked away into 
the depths of the 
forest. A brown 
bear was once mis¬ 
taken by a woman 
for her strayed 
donkey. The 
woman approach¬ 
ing, as she sup¬ 
posed in the dark 
her wandering 
servant, began to 
belabor him and 
the bear was too 
much astonished 
to object. Pre¬ 
sently the woman 
discovered her mis- the bear hunt. 
take and started 
off on the double-quick, while the bear retired in the opposite direction. 
The brown bear not unfrequently extinguishes the camp-fires of the traveller 
and hunter. Trusting to the thickness of his wrappings, the bear will roll him¬ 
self into the smouldering fire, scattering the brands, and having thus made 
clear his title, proceed to possess himself of meat not intended for his enjoy¬ 
ment. On one occasion the hunters, few in number, were forced to take to the 
trees and watch the feasting of the uninvited guest. The brown bear has two 
families a year and the two sets of cubs are born not far apart in time. The 
first set is upon the appearance of the second set provided with separate quar¬ 
ters and not permitted to enter the family domicile. 
