St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1903-06-27
INFANCY OF WILD THINGS.
Pennsylyanla W00d&man Tells About
Bear Cubs and the Does Care
Of Her Favn.

rear cuUS are lily CIcdIuAC CD esa
birth, often no longer than rats, :
said an observant hemlock-belt
w,oodsmen, according to the New
York Sun. 20 friend of mine had
one that, although alive and lively
when he found it with it's mother,
which he had thoughtlessly killed,
was less than four inches long.
ut was perfectly formed, but soon
died, as bear cubs are sure to do 1t
they are less than a month old when
taken, from their mothers. Cubs
grow very fast in nature, and when
they appear in the spring with their
mothers they are as big as half
grown lambs.
II know many an old hunter who
not only will not kill she bears that
have cubs, bat will take every meas
ure to protect them. This is from
no prompting Of humanity, however.
1t is simply with an eye out for the
main chance in The future, when
those cubs have grown to bears, fat
and in fine fur.
property, and a bear mother nurs-
ing her young is Of no use either as
meat or for fur. But her cubs in
year will be worth from $40 to SIS
apiece, and she will herself be worth
more than that by the time she is
ready to hole up the next winter.
1T is not an uncommon thing for
a bear to have foslr cubs at birth.
l have heard If five at birth Three
are common, two more common, but
one may be counted on as being the
most common.
''The instance Ct five bear cubs at
a birth can't vouch for from per-
sonal knowledge, although I saw the
old bear, and the man who killed her
had five cubs, which he declared were
all with her when he shot her. The
man was known as person of We
racity, but ! have my own ideas
about man who could find it in his
heart to kill a bear that had Ave
helpless little cubs at her side. But
that doesn't make him out liar.
II have personal knowledge, ney-
ertheless. of a bear that had eight
cubs with her when I came across
her in the woods, and she was car
ing for them all with motherly ten
derness. That was after had heard
of the one with five cubs, and I felt
that had come to a conclusion too
hasty as to the ve1acity of the man
kol o~hsh;{el ~, LII
''This bear with eight cubs was
such an extraordinary and unheard-
of thing that resolved to capture
the whole family alive if I could.
When the old bear saw me she with
drew, with q great show of fierce
ness, to the refuge Of fallen tree
top, hustling the cubs along in adj
vance of her.
s'While recommending to see how it
might be possible for me to carry
out my designs Tn the bear fairly, I
stumbled over a dead bear only
few rods from where the other one
and the eight Cubs had their quar-
tiers. It was big bear, and she had
had her cubs.
what killed Ter I do not know,
but I thought nad a clear explana-
ton of the other bears remarkable
family. She had four cubs of her
own, and, having come across the
cubs whining on the dead
body of their mother, she had adopt
ed them and was rearing them with
her own. I made no further effort
to capture that bear family, and the
live she bear undoubtedly dined on
the carcas of the dead mother of her
foster cubs.
''It is curious about fawns and
their mother. A fawn when first |
born is for some hours unable to
stand. The doe does not remain be-
side it, but PAGES slowly around at a
distance
every little while she gives ire
low, bleating call. At the
sound the fawn lifts its head and |
tries to struggle to its feet. !
SHOULD the dee scent danger, such |
as the approach of some one in the
woods, she runs away in a straight |
line, but lagging1y and haltingly, as
though she were badly hurt. When
she is satisfied that she has turned
the enemy far enough away. she
gives three great flying leaps, which
quickly take her out of sight, and
she returns speedily to her helpless
young.
j.