Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1886-04-09
BEAR AND GROUND-HOG.
The Hunters Superstition in Re-
gard to Candlemas Day.
How Learned Professor Was Convinced
That Bears Come From Their Winter
Quarters to View Their Shadows
An Enthusiastic Convert.
Port Jerrls fN. Letter.l

this part of the city, "and he woke up and
crawled out down in Delaware township.
Ground-hog day comes on the I'd of Feb
ruary, and you can't find a woodsman in
the whole Delaware Valley who don't be-
lieve sacredly that on that day ground
hogs and bears wake up from their long
winter sleep and come out of their holes or
dens to take a look around If the sun
shines so that they can see their shadows
they lose no time in getting right back to
their winter quarters, turn in and go to
sleep again and stay asleep for six weeks
longer. II it is cloudy and they can't see
their shadows they don't return to their
winter lodging-places, but go to work
at once TO make arrangements for
the spring and summer campaign.
II the sun shines, according to this ancient
backwoods superstition, the grounding
and the bear know that there viii be six
weeks more of tough winter weather, and
they so back and keep out of its way. But
cloudy day is a sure indication that the
backbone of winter is broken, and that
there is no use of being solicitous about the
kind of weather we will have for the rest
of the season.
81 doubt very much whether there was q
ground-hog anywhere in the country wide
awake enough to leave his burrow ON the
day that is said to be his, either this year
or any other year. l never saw one of
these animals away from its hole of its
own accord any time after it retired for the
winter until it came out for good in the
spring. have dug into their winter quar-
ters many times and always found Mr..
Ground-Hog and his mate cuddled up in
their nest of dry leaves with no more evil
dence of life about them than there would
be If you had just put a load of buckshot
in their hearts. You could play foot
ball with alternating ground hog and
he wouldn't be any the wiser until the ex-
ercise set his blood to circulating and
warmed him up. Bears, although they
are hibernaters, and are generally sup
posed to be literally dead from the time
cold weather sets in until warm weather
returns, with the exception of the ground
hog day resurrection, have a way of ap-
pearing in their old haunts at almost any
time during the winter. / have seen fire
bear tracks in the snow when the weather
was so cold that the mercury stood at
zero, and have met bears in the woods in
the depth of winter, apparently as lively
and capable of taking care of themselves
as they ever were in the height of the
feeding season. Coons are the same
Their winter sleep seems to be light one,
for they wake up at every thaw, and COON
tracks in the snow are no curiosity. But
squirrels, like the ground hog, go to
sleep i'm the winter for the purpose of
sleeping, and they never so far forget
themselves as to wake up and take cold
weather trip, even in search of such a
cheerful thing as a shadow on the snow.
"There was once an innocent, good
hearted old gentleman who lived in New
York, but spent much of his time here and
at other places in the neighborhood. He
was great reader of natural history and
thought he was a student, but he wasn't,
for he believed every thing he read in his
books and never looked for any thing be-
yound that. One winter he was passing a
few days with friend who lives back
along Shohola Greek, three or four miles
from here. He wa there when Candlemas
Day came around, and heard the remark
made that bears and ground-hogs would
come out that day to look for their shad-
ows. The book naturalist rebuked the SUI
perstition and talked learnedly about the
impossibility of bears leaving their dens in
mid-winter, because they were in a coma
tose state, which only the natural course of
the seasons could change to one of activity
and life. The old gentleman took his usual
tramp in the woods that day. The weather
was warm and the SKY bright. The ma
turalist wandered some distance up a mall
tributary of the creek, and sat down
on rock TO rest. While sit
ting there he heard noise, and looking in
the direction whence it came saw an
immense bear standing by the side of the
stream, not a dozen yards away, and gaz-
ing at him with bold and fmpudent look
that frightened the naturalist. The old
gentleman jumped to his feet and the bear
gave snort and staggered Off across the
creek and disappeared. The sudden ap-
pcarance of the bear, which, according to
all rules set down in the books, should at
that moment have been sleeping soundly
In some hollow tree or crevice in the rocks,
disturbed the visitors meditations and he
turned to leave the spot. As he turned he
started SO that he came near falling from
the rock, for be was confronted by another
bear, which stood facing him and looking
ct him with its nose in the air, almost
within reach of the naturalist's hand. The
old gentleman's nerves were not equal to
this second apparition, and he turned and
scrambled up the steep bank to get away
from the spot. His fright was increased
te absolute terror wheu he was nearly to
the top of the bank by the
appearance on the summit of a
third bear, bigger than either of the 9TH
ers. This bear thrust his head over
the edge of the bank and stood there eye-
ing the terrified naturalist as much as to
say: What's all this fuss about, anyhow
The old gentleman rolled and slid back TO
the bottom, dashed wildly across the
creek, and never stopped until he reached
his friends house, mile and half dis
tant. He reached there hatless and breath
less, and SO thoroughly frightened that it
was long time before be was able to talk
wi b any degree of fintelligibility. Henever
ma ie any further explanation OF his abrupt
and demoralized arrival at the house that
day than the simple remark:
I" i am a convert to the theory that the
bear does wake up on the second day of
February
s.No one would ever have known the story
3f ne way the old gentleman was convert
sd ~. for the fact that a man who was out
b eting foxes that day was hidden behind
a not twenty yards away from the
TO where the naturalist sat. and saw the
y hing. He not only saw it, but he
". sone and got his ride and fol owed
ana KILLED two Of the Lears before uisht.v
ToBoeeANINc BEARS.
An Ulster County <N. T., Man TELLS e
Strange Sights In the Mountains.
Kingsson FREEMAN