The Red Cloud chief., 1881-05-12

The Blooming Grove (Pa.) cofre-
spondent of the Philadelphia Times
writes: Bears have been far more plen-
tiful this year than for many seasons
past. There are many extensive for
ests of beech and oak in the counties OF
WAYNE, Pike and Monroe. with vast
outlying swamp lands Of laurel, hem
lock and tamarack. Despite the fact
that these forests are penetrated by the
Erie Railroad, the black bear makes
in them his breeding and feeding haunts
almost as freely as scores Of years ago.
before civilization had made any ad-
vance in this section. Along the Dor
ders OF these great swamps is a wide
strip OF soft mud. These swamps are
almost inaccessible to man, and the
bears make them their places of refuge.
When the bears are plenty this border
OF mud is full of the animals tracks.
In many places the mud is found hol-
lowed out in wide spots eight or ten
feet long. three or four feet wide. and
two feet deep. Should large patches
of scrub oaks be found beaten down to
the ground it is a sure sign that the
bears have been working there and
feeding on the acorns. They rise on
their launches among the scrub oaks
and beat the bushes violently with their
fore paws.
Bears are very fond of bugs and in
sects of all kinds. They know just
where to find them every time, and
know that their ~favorite insects make
their homes under the stones during the
winter months. The brutes cOnse-
quently select spots where the ground
is covered with stones. and with their
paws turn them up TO get at the bugs.
Yellowjackets and hornets are favorite
morsels with the black bear. If bruin
ices a yellOwjacket or hornet in the
woods he is wild until he finds the in
sect's home. He tears madly through
the woods until his %unerring scent leads
him to the spot. Then he settles down
to business. When a bear finds a vel
~lOwjacket's nest it takes but n few
swOOps of his fOre-paws to turn it
wrong side out. A yellOwjackets' nest
is generally built in the ground. just
under the surface. As soon as their
nest is touched, the bees swarm about
in clouds and cover the bear until he is
as yellow rs a suniower. He avs no
attention to their assaults, though an
attack of yellowjackets on any other
animal would result in death. The
bear merely shuts his eyes and grins as
he deyours nest and all. He attacks
honey-bees the same way, and SCOOPS
the honey out with his paws and licks
them off until the nest is despoiled
Old Jerry Greening, the hunter,
SAYS that on one occasion he shot a
bear and was going to drag the carcass
home, when he discovered the bear had
just been robbing a yeliowjackets'
nest and was still covered with the
fiery insects. "'F that bar he'd only
been wounded I'd a waltzed right in
an fixed i'm" said Jerry, but a
O. them cussed little hot-tailed
zane after me an l skipped.
1 didn't dare 60 after tibet bar for
two DAYS"
Hornets build their nests high up in
the branches of trees, Or fasten them to
the rocks. But as cute as these insects
are the bear is more than their match.
n UCdt uiStONCtS a OIuCtS HcSt ldC OttI
on a limb beyond his reach. He climbs
The tree, breaks the longest branch he
get. and, holding it in his fore
paws, hits the nest until it drops to the
Sometimes he dances or
on the limb till the nest is
of. Should the nest be on a
rock the bear goes up to the top of the
edge above it, where he gathers stones
md sticks and rolls them down the side
If the rock till one hits the nest and
sends it tumbling to the ground below.
The hornets appear to know what has
their ruin, and all remain in the
allen nest till the bear appears, when
hey attack him.
"A hornet sting" says Jerry Green
NC. sis bout 8 strong's a whack from
! sledge-hammer, an one hornet I'll
Knock n bull down; but their bite won't
'aise a lump bigger'n a buckshot on "a
FAR, an the shaggy critter thinks its
un. He'll stan on his him legs and
square off with his fore paws, Jest as eff
he were a boxin' with somebody, only
le's durn keerful t keep his eyes shet.
Then he'll Law down an roll over 'em
ez if he didn't keer a cent fer 'em.
)nce't l seed a she bar knock a hor-
lets nest bigger'n a half-bushel basket
'ffn a rock, an pick it up an tuck it
lnder her arm an walk off with it, ez
'Ool ez if t were one O. her cubs"