The morning times., 1895-12-15
STEALING YOUNG BEARS.
Startling Experience of IA Fisherman
With Family He Disturbed.

new DTk TlDune.
New studies of the bears habits are con-
stanuy being made, some OF them, pursued
while the student is being pursued by the
animal, being thus extremely accurate and
realistic in their conclusions. One OF these
IS described by a trout fisherman of Otter
Run, a tributary OF Pine Creek, near Cam
MEL in this State.
He was occupied In fishing in the former
estuary, and while SO engaged got a bite
which his disciplined experience imnledi-
ately Identified as big one. He therefore
at once proceeded, according To local GUS
tom, to hang the efishin the topmost branches
OF u neighboring tree. While preparing to
recover il by climbing the tree. another local
custom, he heard a low growl proceeding
from the underbrush nearby. Listening
again, he heard two growis.
The first one proceeded from young
cub which its ursine mother had deposited
there; the second one proceeded from an
other. Both were on deck and ready for
business, but they were OF tender age. and
the fisherman, aving his suspended trout
amid the boughs, had little difficulty in
placing one OF the cubs under his arm and
starting for home.
There was ma rrow wgacgcrailroad nearby
with a platform ca r and u steep down grade,
and the captor thought If he could reach it
without being discovered and pursued by
the maternal bear his escape with his
whimpering quarry would be easy and
assured. But that bereaved animal was
prematurely aroused and was almost upon
him when he remembered that he had in
his pocket q handful of salt and pepper
with which he lad intended to sauce his
frugal brOoksiGe repast of onions.
Without pausing in his flight he threw
these mingled condiments directly into
the eyes OF the pursuing bear imposing
upon the animal considerable confusion
and delay and just enabling him 10 reach
the refuge Of his rolling stock, which was
at once started down the hill, fisherman,
cub, trout basket uDconsumed onions and
all.
But the bear, having paved the saline
and peppery irritants out of her eyes and
got her second wind, was again upon their
trail, following the car down the incline
with barks and howl of rlge, the speed OF
both being about equal and the space
between them too narrow to rank IS q
first-class security. But as the declivity
presently began 10 fall at a sharLer angle
the car gradually drew away from the
pursuing animal and was socn so far in
advance that the latter gave up the pur-
suit, and when last seen was sitting ON
the Cross-:ies bowling bitterly and paw
ing the remainder of the salt out of her
eyes.
The lesson of the occurrence Is that cub
hunting is most safely pursued in forests
ad in cent to narrow gauge railroads with
a ready platform car at hand and a steep
grade dropping away toward habitable re-
gions and canine and chronological rc-en-
forcements. 1t also goes TO show that the
ursine eye is sensitive TO the most COM
monplace table condiments and that while
under their influence. its most violent mater
nal emotions may be transiently inter-
rupted.
These are not very important facts, but
in the study of bears every little helps.
They widen our knowledge of the animal
trifle, but DO not greatly increase our
respect for Its habits. If 1t had stayed at
home and paid proper attention to its young
no such occurrence would have happened,
and by the time of the autunnal equinox
they would have become sufficiently able
bodied to defend themselves against any
trout fisherman in the western range of
counties and might have left a record for
pig stealing equal to her own.