New-York tribune., 1895-05-12
ODDITIES OF WILD ANIMALS.
CLEVER AND 1Nours1r1vE BEARS.

CLEVER AND INQUIS1T1VE BEARS.
"People who live near the haunts Of wild animals
see a good many strange sights II they are watch
full" said a woodsman. "Our folks once had a
stumpy lot with woods on three sides OF IT, The
field had been seeded to clover and fifteen or
twenty woodchucks dug holes IN the ground and
lived high ana in peace till bear got In the habit.
along In July, OF stealing out OF the woods just
before sunset every day, crouchins IN the tall
clover and pouncing on a woodchuck while 1t was
getting its supper. Father wouldn't shoot the
bear, because its fur good for nothing then.
and he wanted II to thin out the woodcnucks
When the bear had killed a number OF woodchacks
and carried them into the woods. wise old wood
chuck In the upper end OF the field began to smell
a rat, and whenever the bear stole out OF the
timber the cunning old woodchuck would sit by Its
hole and whistle like everything to warn the other
woodchucks OF the bears presence. Then he and
all the woodchucks in the lot would scoot into their
holes, and the bear would souch back to the woods
looking sheepish When the alert Old woodchuck
had played that trick on bruin few times the
bear went to thinking, we thought for at noon one
hot day we saw the bear shamble out Of the woods
and climb up tree just above the cute old wood
chuck's burrow. Not single woodchuck was In
sight and that made wonder what the bear was
I'D to- The bear stayed In the tree all the after
noon and Just before sundown We saw the cute
old woodchuck crawl out OF its hole and take sur
vey Of the field He didn't see the bear. so pretty
and began to nibble clover contentedly. No
sooner had the woodchuck started to eat his sup
per than the bear let itself drop from the limb.
1t landed near the hole. got on Its feet In second
and lay fat IN the clover. The woodchuck heard
the thud and scampered for his hole. and the
cunning bear nabbed him and squeezed him to
death in a hurry With the wise woodchuck out
OF the way. the bear had smooth shedding. and be-
fore the end OF August 1t killed every woodchuck
In the lot.
zone summer worked for a man on the Sinna-
mahoning Creek. who had queer experience with
an InquistIve bear. The water used on the prem
ises was forced 20 the house from a spring back
Of knoll by a hydraulic ram that stood In
covered plank box few feet below the spring.
Every beat Of the rams valve could be plainly
heard in the woodhouse and the ram had worked
all right for six years. when. one morning. II got
balky Just as the owner was dipping his pail into
the trough. 1t stopped and started severn! times.
and the astonlshed farmer. after he had listened
to Its jamboree a while. handed 'nonkey-wrench
to me and told me to so over TO the spring and
find out what the matter Just then the mans
wife wanted to do something In the cellar. so
the man took the wrench and started for the
spring. When he got to the edge OF grove the
secret OF the rams queer conduct was revealed to
him. He saw a large bear with Its paws the
box peering down at the ram. the animals in
quistIveness having driven It to tear the cover of
to find out what sort OF thing was beating In the
box. The bear very much amused with It's
new playthlng for It touched the valve several
times with It's paw and acted as II 1t was trying to
ascertain why the valve didn't work when Its paw
was on IT, The curious animal circled around the
box. eyed the valve and seemed to be bound to
solve the mystery Finally the bear grabbed the
box and wrenched It apart That was more than
the man could stand. no ne ran to the house. got
the rifle and hurried back Just In time to the
bear upset the ram and almost ruin It. and he
banged away and killed the bear.
while watching for a shot at n deer near
deerlick one fall I noticed a huge yellowjack
nest hanging from the limb OF an ronwood sapling.
not far from a tree I had limbed up A little be-
fore sunset I saw "a nne buck making his way tow
ard the lick A. he approached the yellow Jackets
nest I noticed "a movement In tho foliage over
head and the next instant a catamount plunged
headIong through the leaves and landed on the
bucks neck The buck stumbled. but soon got on
his feet and the catamount, who had struck the
limb to which the yellowjackets' nest was attached.
sprang OF and began TO root and tear In the un.
derrrowth for the disturbed insects had poured out
and were stinging II numerically The buck dashed
out OF siGht like q streak. and from the WAY he
snortsd Judged that some OF tho angry hornets had
got at him also. The catamount ran up q beech
rss and ioacsd from one trsstop = another til Il