Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1899-01-05
Smart Pine Greek Bears
" ~ g @2 - = Q - 81 i 4
Jerry Chamberlain Has Proofsofs 4,
:; Their Intelligence. =
Jerry CHAMBERLAIN


III Run, Pa, says he has hunted black
bears in the Pine creek region for As
years, and his observation proves that
Bruin advances in sagacity and deviltry
as the people progress in cupidity and
modern methods. Chamberlain is firm
in the beliefsthat black bears hold con-
ventions, for one day in the latter part
of the past summer, while on a bee tree
hunt, he saw what he thinks was abeaf
pow-wow. His attention was attracted
by aqueer chopping or chattering noise,
interspersed with a series of low, quick
sqeals, sometimes several of these to-
gether. He investigated and found
that the queer sounds were made by 5
colony or gathering of black bears in
the shade of ledge of rocks. There
were nine bears, and all full grown.
Chamberlain had an excellent chance
for observation from the top of the
cliffs which overhung the meeting
place. He says the bears were lying
about in very lazy fashion, except that
one, which seemed to be the boss, sat
on his "hunkers" in the center of the
group. This bear wasvery demonstra-
tive in his movements, and it was he
who was making most of the chattering
noise. An occasional grunt or squeat
from the others seemed to indicate ap4
proval or disapproyal, as. the case might
be. Chamberlain watched the queer
gathering for a half hour or more. It
broke up suddenly after every bear in
the crowd had shambled up backward
against straight hemlock tree and
marked his height with scratch on the
bark. Then, when each had taken his
measure, they went granting away in
different directions.
But something that happended to
Chamberlain about two weeks ago is
construed by him as positive proof that
the bears nowadays are much sharper
than those of 20 or 30 years ago. Cham
berlain, during the season, succeeded
in finding four fine bee trees. He al,
ways waits until early frosts before he
cuts his bee trees, for he believes in Civ
ing the bees all the time possible to fill
comb. Then, too, if the honey is taken
after cold weather the stuff. is not So
soft nor the bees so hard to smot her.
In the early part of November he and
helper named Kuntz carried tubs and
buckets to, a place nearest to all the
trees to gather the crop Of honey. The
first tree chopped yielded a splendid lot
of the finest honey that Cham erlain
ever saw. It had evidently been gath
cred from buckwheat and white clover.
Fortunately, too, when the tree fell, it
side wiped" another tree and landed
on the ground quite gently, dist urbing
the comb little: The men got over a;
tubful Of honey out Of the tree They
carried it to what they considered a
safe place, under a shelving rock, while
they went mile or two furtherton to
scut another bee tree.
Unfortunately for Cham erlain and.
shis tubfal OF honey, it was the next day
before he got back to where he had hid
sden the tub, a sudden storm having
compelled him and his partner to beat
a retreat for home. Next morning they
went sto the ledge Of rocks where they
had hidden the honey, but much 10
shsir chagrin they found that somebody