Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1879-11-17
BEAR BABIES.
The Antics of the Young Bruins
A Mothers Care of Them.

About the middle of January last, the
female black bear in the collection re-
fused to come out OF her den into the
open pit, aud would not allow the male
bear to approach her. She was imme-
diately closed in, and furnished with an
abundance of hay, with which she bus
led herself in making a nice warm bed.
Alta p. NJ, on January PC, the young
ones were born, and did not see them
until three days after, when | was sur
prised by the keeper informing me that
she would allow him to enter the den.
On going with him, he unlocked the
door, walked fearlessly in, and quickly
began feeding her with bits of bread,
which he sliced from loaf in his hand:
BY holding the bread just over her head
he finally tempted her 10 sit on her
launches, when | obtained clearer
view of the two young ones, lying
Just back Of her front paws. From
where | stood, about six feet distant,
they did not seem to exceed six inches
i'm length, were dirty whitish color,
and appeared entirely bare of hair. In
about ten days their coats began to
show, and were OF grayish tint, which
gradually passed through the various
shades until they became a brOwnish-
black. 1t was just forty days before the
first ones eyes opened, and two days al
ter the second followed suit. From that
time forward l watched very closely to
ascertain the exact time that would
elapse before the young ones would
leave the nest, and on the seventy-tirst
day after birth, when the mother, as was
her habit, came to the grating to be fed,
one of the youngsters left the nest and
followed her. So soon as she found 1t
out, she Immediately drew it gently
back, ami on its second attempt she
cuffed il soundly, which put a stop to
its wandering propensity. After a few
DAYS she allowed them to wander about
at will, provided no one was Immediately
in ront OF the den but so
soon as a visitor put in an appearance,
they were driven back into the nest, and
not allowed to emerge until the stranger
was out of sight. For some time she al
WAYS sucked them in one position, ly-
ing over and completely covering them
bv stretching flat, with her legs drawn
up under her and her head tucked down
between her front paws. AS they grew
older, and began to run about, she would
sit on her launches, lazily lean back
against the wall, take a cub on each
forearm and hold them up to her breast
until they were satisfied. They soon
became expert climbers, taking adyan-
tage of the slightest inequalities OF the
stone walls and the cracks between the
heavy oaken planks TO reach the cell
ing of the den on three sides, whilst the
grating in front served capitally for their
skylarking. Occasionally they would
have regular sparring bout, standing
erect, feinting, cOuntering, and making
use of many of the tricks of old vOta-
ries of the p. X. These frolics would
generally end in a clinch, fall and reg
ular rough-and-tumble fight, when the
mother would abruptly put a stop to it
by suddenly knocking both Of the con-
testants completely out of time. In
fact, az they grew apace, the parental
visitations increased too rapidly, | began
to fear she would put an end to M bear
Investigations by chastising the lives
out of them, but of late she has slack
ened in her attentions, and | am in
hopes of following the growth OF Ursus
Americans from babyhood to Adde'S
cence.