The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-09-07

wallowing in the mud and water ant
 where he can find turtles, crayhsh ane
 nettles. A little later he goes up or to the sides of the mountains to gather the blackberries, blueberries, wild cher
 ries and other summer fruit. Often he
 amuses himself by tearing open ant hills and decayed logs and licking uI the ants and their larvae, and some
 times he opens up the nests of hornets or yellow jackets and devours the | grubs in spite of the vigorous but un-
 availing protests of the owners. In the fall he changes his diet again, and his food consists largely of nuts and
 acorns. He is also remarkably clever
 at locating the nests of wild bees in
 hollow trunks which he rips open with
 his powerful claws. The stings of the
 insects are of no avail against his heavy fur coat, so he may indulge his
 appetite for honey with impunity. Un- | fortunately for his character, he Is not ! always satisfied with the good things which the forest affords. and in wild and sparsely settled parts of the coun- | try he visits the farms to sample the products of civilization. He devours the fruit of the corn, and when occa- sion offers kills the poultry. sheep,
 pigs, calves and sometimes even full-
 grown cattle.
 Black bears hibernate in the winter, but not with the regularity with which they are commonly supposed to do
 According to the best authorities they do not hibernate to avoid the cold
 weather but rather to tide themselves over a period when food Is very scarce.
 While they are asleep they require no nourishment but that which their own fat bodies can supply but if they were active at this period they would doubt less often starve to death. The male, providing he can get sufficient food, will not "den up" no matter how deep the snow or how cold the air, but the female toward the end of winter must provide a den for the cubs, whether food Is abundant or not. At the best, the den Is a poor affair, quite un- worthy of an animal with so wide a knowledge of the world. A hollow scooped in the earth with the massive paws, beneath a fallen log or the up- turned roots of a big tree, with few leaves and branches for a couch is all Bruin needs for a sleeping apartment. In such place the cubs are born usu- ally In February, often with the snow for roof. Sometimes, however, large hollow tree Is the home selected for them, but 1t is not often that suit able trees of sufficient size are to be found. There are usually two or three little ones, but occasionally there are four. They are seldom seen until they are well grown and able to follow their mother about, though now and then they are discovered playing together outside the den while the mother has gone away for food. They have other enemies beside man when they are lit tie and helpless, for partners, wildcats and foxes often take advantage of their absence and carry them off. But woe to any such kidnapper If he is there when the bear returns. for there will not be enough left of him to tell to what species hes belonged.
 The black bear is often accounted a | coward; perhaps he is merely anxious 70 avoid unnecessary danger, fierce | ,rawls and useless bloodshed. At any | 'ate when there is anything really | worth fighting about-cubs to protect | IT wound to beSavenged, he will fight | ike ten devils. Anyone who has been ushed upon by wounded bear, any me who has seen him standing upon lis hind legs surrounded by pack of rowling dogs and marked the magnifi- ent downward sweeps of his paws, as le knocked his enemies into the mid He of next week, will hardly accuse i'm of cowardice. Like a gentleman. e keeps out of unseemly rows as long S he can, but when forced to fight he uts his whole heart into it.
 The black bear Is one of the most &C., animals In the woods. He 5 creature of prodigious strength; he 5 an expert climber, splendid swim ner and a runner of considerable abil- ty When he has passed" (distant be he day) we shall have lost one of the lost picturesque and interesting char cters to be found in the American yoods.
 ERNEST HAROLD BAYNES.
 1