Milford chronicle., 1896-06-26
DANegRous KIND d PILFERlNe.
Aian who Intend to Steal Bear Cubs shouic
Take Due warning.


Take Due Warning.
New studies of the bears habits are
constantly being made, some of them
pursued while the student is being pu.
sued BY theanimal, being thus extreme
~ accurate and realistic in their conclu-
sions One of these is described by s
trout fisherman of Otter run, a tribu
tary of Pine creek, near CANNED, in
this state. He was occupied in fishing
in the former estuary, and while so en-
/ gagged got a bite which his disciplined
experiences Immediately identified as a
big one. He therefore at once pro-
ceeded, according TO local custom, 10
hang the fish in the topmost branches
I of a neighboring tree. While preparing
to recover it By climbing the tree, an
/ other local custom, he heard a low
growl proceeding from the underbrush
near by Listening again, he heard
two growls. The first one proceeded
from young cub which it's ursine
mother had deposited there; the second
one proceeded from another. Both
were on deck and ready for business,
but they were of tender age, and the
fisherman, leaving his suspended trout
amid the boughs, had little difficulty in
placing one of the cubs under his arm
and starting for home.
There was narrow gauge railroad
near by with platform car ana a
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 aninaLI
was prematurely aroused and was al
most upon him when he remembered
that he had in His pocket a handful
OF salt ANT pepper with which he had
intended to sauce his frugal brookside
repast of onions. Without pausing in
hisfiigkt he threw these mingled condi- /
ments directly inso the eyes of the pur-
suing bear, imposing upon the animal /
considerable confusion and DELAY and 1
just enabling him to reach the refuge 1
OF his rolling stock, which was at once I
started down the hill, fisherman, cub. |
trout basket, unconsumed onions and /
all. But the bear, having paved the
saline and peppery 1-saiants out Of her
eyes and got her second wind, was again
upon their trail, following the car down /
the incline with banks and bowls of
rage, the speed of both being about
equal and the space between them too
narrow to rank as irst-class security
But as the declivity presently began
TO fail at a sharper angle the car grad
aally drew away from the pursuing
animal and was soon so far in advance
that the latter gave up the pursuit, and
when last seen was sitting on the cross
ties bowling bitterly and paving the
remainder of the salt oct of her eyes.
The lesson Of the occurrence is that
is most safely pursued IN
forests adjacent to narrow gauge rail-
Dads with a ready platform car at
land and a steep grade dropping away
oward habitable regions and canine
md chronological reinforcements. II
-lso goes to show that the ursine eye
S sensitive to the most commonplace
able condiments, and that. while under
heir influence, its most violent mater
Lal emotions may be transiently in
errupted. These are not very inl,sor- J
ant facts, but in the study of bears {
very little helps. They widen our !
of the animal a trfe, but do
OF greatly increase our respect for it's
abits. If it had stayed at home and S
aid proper attention to its young no I
deh occurrence would have happened, l
nd by the time of the autumnal equi- l
OK they would have become sufficient 1
: able-bodied to defend themselves S
gainst any trout fisherman in the /
'estern range of counties and might t
ave left record for pig-stealing equal d
} her OWN. Y. Tribune. y