Evening journal., 1904-09-21
ANIMALS THAT SWIM
THE BLACK BEAR IS THE CHAMPION
AMONG LAND BEASTS.

idIy Than Most other Animals That
Can swim.
Everybody knows how much dogs
differ in their ability as swimmers, re-
trievers and water spanicls being the
water dogs par excellence. A Russian
retriever which l once owned was re-
markable as a water dog, preferring
the sea to fresh water for his bath. He
often swan so far out that lost sight
OF him, and could not find him even
through a glass. He must have gone
at least two or three miles straight out
to sea, and several times 1 gave him up
for lost. He always, however, came
straight back 10 the spot whence he
started.
The liking Of this dog for tallow was
so great that he would eat all the can
dies he could find in the house, search
ing the bedrooms for them. He often
took them when lighted from the
tables, and he was so fierce that no
body dare interfere with him unless
his master was at hand.
There is the same difference regard
ing liking for the water among Wild
animals OF the dog kind as there Is
among the domestic animals. Wolves,
though they can swim tolerably well,
never care TO enter the water except to
escape pursuit. They will not enter II
after their prey, as dogs do, but Will
gallop round a lake or pond to meet the
escaping victim. If the quarry cross a
river the wolves at once give up the
chase.
Some heavy animals which can swim
after fashion will drown as they
Goat II their fur Is completely satu
rated. This Is the case with rabbits
and many Of the mouse tribe. The
common mouse and the field mouse
can only swim a few yards. They
drown In the act Of swimming.
The same Is also true OF the rabbi
and most perhaps all, small cats
though lions and tigers swim well an'
often cross large rivers, as do the larg
cats of America-thnt Is, the puma an'
the tagunr The Inter deserves tn
, name Of the water cat, for it habitual
" haunts large rivers and lakes and
= contrary to the habits Of all other cats
seems to love the water. None OF th
, American small cats ever voluntarily
/ enters the water. but they fish from Oh
/. banks OF streams and from partly sui
merged roots, etc, clawing the fish on
I, as they swim past
Though the rabbit cannot swim an
avoids damp situations, the hare, as
. generally known, swims well, and 81
indeed, do the majority of mammals.
All deer are expert and most grac
ful swimmers, and In this they al
equaled by the horse, which can swi
n for miles without becoming exhauste
Il Horses have been known to cross q
u Niagara river from the American
the Canadian side for the purpose
"A returning TO their old stables.
h, It may be useful to give a few hir
ID. on crossing over with horses. A mou
81 ed man should slip or behind Al
"a. holding lightly by the animals Il
~ permit himself 10 be t0wed aero
This method puts the least strain
10. the horse and is the safest for the mt
be The horse also should be permitted
el take its own way. 1t Is remarlSal
n. with what strange instinct (or is
Ii reasonO It will choose the best landi
IN place on the opposite bank, avoidi
n dangerous currents and quicksan'
IN At any rate, this is my experience wi
th American horses.
with the exception Of aquatic a
e- mails the bear is probably the strs
gcst and best swimmer among ma
- mails. l have known the Americ
al black bear to swim across small lah
m and arms OF the larger bodies OF v
ell ter a distance Of at least twenty mi
without a break, and, though ma
W. bears have no doubt reached the
land OF Anticosti, in the gulf Of
n. Lawrence, on ice foes am sure o
re- ers have swum thither from the ma
A., land. travelling probably in some
To- stances thirty miles through the wat
as No black bear will go a yard out
S. its way to avoid water, but pas
straight through any river or lake q
lies in its way. The grizzly bear
mostly an inhabltant Of dry. roc
tracts, but even grizzlies often take
ok the water FOR no perceptlble cause
cept love OF IT,
PRS Though the mouse cannot swim
IN ther than a few yards, the rat is a p'
an erful swimmer and the river that '
he bar its course must not not only
IRE broad, but OF strong current also. Il
OF mings and other small rodents are q
led good swimmers, but there are so
zen small mammals that have as grea
dread OF water as they have OF
wv among them the American SOUR
the This little animal. like the mouse,
the swim only a very few yards whei
be browns, the carcass remaining af
Of long after death. Probably they We
10 live a considerable time If they
the mained motionless and simply fioa
ans but it is a remarkable fact that all
: a mails. except man and monkeys, ST
out and naturally go through the
tons Of swimming.
v Monkeys cannot swim and hav
nll- great dread Of the water. If they
=oO accidentally into a river, which
ah sometimes do when squabbling an
nu. themselves, or when they are pur'
iieu by an enemy. they seldom sueceeI
IN struggling out, but are speedily drc
MI. ,i ed
's One would expect that the
bodies OF birds, with their bones
a. Il