Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1880-11-18
Vol. XVI. Whole No. l347. No. At.
Bears and Bees.
AN ANIMAL ISvuLNERABLE TO HORNET
srINGs.

sTISGs.
II a hunter, out prospecting. goes through
| woods, or clearlngs, or open fields, and finds
the stones turned up for acres and acres, he
knows bear has been there, and has made
his home for the nonee in the vicinity.
Bears are very fond of erickets, slugs and
bugs of all kinds, and they know that their
favorite insects make their homes in the fall
under stones on the ground. Consequently,
they select spots where the ground is COW
cred with stones, and turn them up to get at
the bugs. Yellow jacket and hornet nests,
or rather their contents, are fasorite morsels
with the black bear If bear sees a vel
low jacket or hornet working in the woods,
be acts like crazy thing until he finds the
hole the one enters or the tree or rock to
which the nest of the other is fastened. He
pranees and dances around through the
woods, licking his chops and whining and
growing until his unerrlng scent leads him
to the object of his search. Then he gets
right down TO business. Yellow Jackets
build their nests in the ground. When the
bear finds one it takes but few swoops Of
his fore paws to turn it inside out. The
bees swarm out in clouds and cover the bear
until he looks as if he was painted yellow.
He pays no attention to their attacks, al
though an assault OF yellow Jackets, on al
most any other animal would soon result in
death.
The bear merely shuts his eyes and grins
as he scoops the honey out with his paws
and lieks them off until the nest is despoiled
of every trace of its sweetness The old
hunter who gives these observations on the
habits Of the bes, declares that he shot
big bear once in the High Knob region. He
killed it. but when he went TO drag the car
cass out he found that the bear had been
rohbing yellow jackets nest, and it was
still covered with the fiery little insects.
IF that bar had been wounded only, and
had shown fight, Id waltzed right into it
without any delav But when one o. them
cussed little hot-taled varmnts of a yaller-
jacket comes a disin' at me, didn't want
none o him, and | cut and run. | want
afeerd o no wounded bar, but that waller
bee scared me out. didn't dare to 20 arter
that bar till next day"
Hornets build their nests up in the
branches Of trees, or fasten them to rocks,
out of the reach Of harm. But cunning as
these insects are, they are no match for the
bear. y bear discovers hornets nest far
out on a limb two small to bear his weight,
or high up on the breast of a rock. II the
former, h. climbs the tree. breaks off the
longest branch he can get and, holding it in
his fore paws, thrashcs the nest until it
drops to the ground. Sometimes he dances
or stamps on the limb until the nest is
shaken off. Ii the nest is on rock, the
bear goes up To the top OF the ledge above
II. Then he gathers large stones and pieces
of wood and rolls them down the side Of
the rock until one strikes the nest and
sends II tumblIng to the ground below. The
hornets seem to know what has caused their
ruin, and not one Of them deserts the fallen
nest, but all seem TO wait for the appearance
of the bear, when they attack him at once.
"A hornet sting" says the old hunter, .'is
equal To- blow from i Sledge- hammer every
time, and one horuetll knock u bull down.
But their bite won't raise lump As big as a
buck shot on a BAR and the shaggy critter
seems to think il Is a heap o fun. He'll
stand up on has hind legs and square off
with hls fore paws at the hornets lest as If
he was boxin' with somebody only he's durn
careful to keep his eyes shct Then he'll
lay down and roll all over the nest . ..r
wanted to show the hornets how he didn't
care no more for EN- than as # thev was
gnats. Once | see a big she bar, which
had knocked hornets nest as big As a peck
measure of a tree, take il under her arm
and walk off with it as cool as if it was one
Of her cubs
The choicest morsel to a bear. however, Is
the honey Of wild bees. They line" bee
tree with failing instinct, and never
give up the search for one when once on the
scent until they secure it. The tree found.
the bear begins TO look for the Dlace ~ here
the honey Is stored lie gives the tree
thump with his paw every few feet. until he
strikes the hollow place. Then il Is the
work OF short time ior him to tear away
the wood with his sharp claws. until the
feasts to his hearts content