The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-09-07
THE BLACK BEAR.
Copyright, 1901, by Ernest Harold
 Baynes)

l bdyHeS.J
 The longer we live in the woods the
 greater respect we are apt to have for
 the black bear. It takes us some time to even partially understand his many
 sided character, for his experience with
 men justifies him In the deep-rooted be-
 lief that they are never to be trusted,
 and he positively refuses to be inter-
 viewed. Accidental meetings of course
 are unavoidable at times but even
 then the bear shows his disinclination
 for closer acquaintance by taking to
 his heels at his very best pace; a pace
 by the way, which Is likely to astonish
 us if we have been laboring under the
 delusion that bears are slow and clum-
 sy. If we insist on button-holing him,
 so to speak, and he finds that he can
 not retire peacefully he Is sure to show
 us side of his character which we
 should be careful never to call forth
 except in the presence of a big game rifle. Many of his habits can be ob-
 served only on those rare occasions
 when we are able to approach him
 without his being aware of the fact; then, and then only does he feel per- fectly at his ease in our presence, and then only may we see him going about his daily oppupation in perfectly natural manner.
 A hundred years ago the black bear was distributed over the greater DOT tion of North America, and even to- day he is fairly common In many of the wooded regions of the eastern states from Maine to the gulf. But the encroachments of civilization are year. ly reducing the limits of his territory and the rifle and the steel trap, his greatest enemies, threaten ere long to put him on the list of animals which used to inhabt the United States" In appearance he is a great thick-set cumsily- creature, covered with long, dark brown or black hair except on the muzzle which is yellow, tan or fawn color. He has a short, broad head and a thick neck, his nose is rather pointed, his eyes small and near together and his rounded ears are placed well up on his head. The soles of his feet are short and broad, and his blunt claws are curved and strong ly made. His tail is very, very short and hardly counts when he comes to be Black bears, even of the same age, vary greatly in size, very large specimen measuring over six feet from the tip of his nose to the root of his tail, and over three feet in height at the shoulder, when standing on all fours.
 When young he is a playful little fel- low, and even when he is grown up his natural inclination is to be good na- tured. He has none of the nasty, un- reasonable ferocity of the wild cat, and IS a rule, when we find him in sav- lge, dangerous mood there is some defi- lite cause for 1t; he has been wounded, hunted with dogs, or in some other way lad his rights interfered with.
 That there Is a humorous side to his | no one who has watched l sven captive bears will deny, and an id hunter once told me that he had | nore than once seen a bear smile. We | ,an readily imagine, then, that when | aruin enters lumber camp, as he not | does, and helps himself to l he pork and molasses, he enjoys the oke on the lumbermen almost as much | IS the food; and that is saying a great l .eal, for with all his good qualities he | hinks no end of his stomach In the eay of food, at all events, he obeys the criptural admonition to prove all | hings; hold fast that which is good" Ie roams the forest almost the whole ear round, trying his teeth on about very kind of animal and vegetable ood he can find. In the spring he ire uents the lower land along the rivers nd ponds, where he finds tender plants nd roots, and occasionally wild mice, rogs and other small game In the ummer he often seeks the shady wamps. where he can keep cool by l