The weekly intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1891-1901, 1901-03-30
THE POLAR BEARS BATE.
winter Tabbias 81 These oeannst
In New YORK Pssk Fsuswsa
BY Exercise.

~
two sections by Q high fsnss Of stout
iron bars. In oas division Ne polar
bears live and In the stAsn Ne grh'
Eliss. At ths bAsk 81 Ne ~ there
are two caves, one In each Division,
That in the grizzlies ssstios n blasted
out Of the solid rock WAisA Rises At
the back of the pit 70 . hdgat OF IL
or 20 feet The cave Of the polar bears
is formed by a broad deep slab Of stone
placed across over . nioAs IN the rock.
These caves are In reality simply deep,
well-sheltersd reesssss In which the
bears lie down for p~rotsetisn from the
heat in summer and from the cold in
winter, though for that matter The cold
does not much trouble them; the
polars, indeed, may sometimes in win
ter be seen stretched out fat and com
Portable on the roof Of their cave, lying
down in the snow, says the New York
Sun.
Sunk in the floor Of the bear pit, near
the front, is a masonry tank perhaps
eight feet long by four wide and tive
and a half feet deep. The fence which
divides the pit into two sections like
wise divides the tank. Thus half the
tank is in the polar bears side Of the
pit and half Of II is in the grizzlies.
The water in it in always kept run
ming.
There are In the pit two polar bears
and two grizzlies. The older and larger
Of the two polars has been here now
upward OF Is years. He is q big, hns
bear, though he does NOW and then
suffer somewhat from rheumatism and
Is not 80 spry 80 he ones was, he
doesn't like TO exert himself very much
and does not often battle in the win
ter, The younger polar, however, takes
baths all through the winter. Lets fine
day drop in, n comparatively mild,
and that day the young polar takss .
bath.
After the bath the bear needs sxsr-
else and this young bear walks back
and forth from the end % Ne tAah
to the rocky side OF the pin Ths DE
10, In fact for a considerable part Of u
blasted out OF the rock, and that rocky
side wall comes down pretty nearly 70
the front Of the pit. Tbs bars along
that side are set in holes drilled In this
rock, back . little from the edge, so
that there Is q shell or ledge OF rock
sloPlng from the front upward to the
back. At the point at which the bear
strikes It In walking back and forth
from the tank this ledge Is almost
twice the hight OF the bears shoulder.
The aoor Of the pit around the tank
Is wet with water that the bear has
swashsd over on IT. but the bear isn't
q particle disturbed BY this. he isn't
- hs ufEsfd vi geruuE ms Ies wet
He starts from the tank and walks
over to the wall, only 4 little distance,
half q dozen short steps, and then he
baeks down to the tank, He goes for
ward TO the wall again, and backs to
the tank again. and does this forward
and back movement over and over
again; and anybody standing watch
ing the bear o is sure to get an i'm
preston that he is getting ready to
jump up on the ledge. This IL really
what happens. All Of a sudden on one
OF these returns 10 the rock and with
out any acctleration Of his speed, and
apparently without any unusual Of.
fort the bear springs up the face Of
the rock twice his own height, to land
securely on the ledge, and this with
50 much Of reserve strength and such
facility Of movement that he seems
to scale the rock with perfect ease
and az though be could TO higher ~
he wanted 10. Moreover, the bear
launches himself, and lands in this as
tonishing climbing jump, with such
easy certainty that the movement is
noiseless throughout, there Is no scrap.
Ing or shutting in II anywhere.
Landed on the ledge the bear walks
up that narrow sloping protection to
the back Of the pit, swings around
there to the left and walks along the
back, aeross the top of the llab that
forms the roof Of the cave In this sec.
ton, and on 10 and down the Other
side, on the slipping coping Of the ma.
sonfy base In which the bars of the
dividing fence are set, and back to the
floor Of the PIT, and to the tank, 10 take
up there again his apparently endiss,
walking, forward and back between
tank and wall, in a seemingly endles,
getting ready TO jump. Now and then
he shakes himself like = great dog
though not so violently, and the spraJ
fi's from his white coat; and so what
with time and exercise and the heat Of
his body be gradually dries himself Of