The sun., 1908-05-03
BIGGEST BEAR m CAPTIVITY
IT rs BUSTER BROWN or THE
WASHINGTON 200.
Weighed $50 Pounds = Month ABO and
IS stIII GFoWing-Ten Feet Tall When
standlng-An Eye fer Lady Bears
-Dimoulty IN WelshlnE Some Animals.

-Dimeuity IN Wel8mnb some Ahlme"'
WASHINGTON, May Amy gentleman or
lady having In his or her possession bear
Weighing more than i,iO0 pounds Is re-
uuested 10 communicate at once with
Buster Brown, formerly Of Alaska, present
address Rock Creek Zoo, Warrington, D. @.
Buster thinks--or at any rate his keepers
think-that he is the biggest bear In cap
tlvity to-day. and he's not through growing
yet He's gained a small matter Of 900
pounds since he reached Washington and
IA feeling as fine as silk, 20 there's no telling
what he will do 10 the 8 Gales before he
reaches his limit
New York has some big bears Of lts own,
but Buster outcasses them all. His next
door neighbor In the Washington Zoo is
Dick, big polar bear with a seven league
stride and a reach as long a. the arm OF
Providence. But Dick weighs 300 pounds
less than Buster Brown and Is two years
older. Next to Dick Ia an old grizzly that
weighed 7SO pounds about fifteen years
ago-and weighs just about the same now
Az these three bears compare very well
with other bears In captivity at present
Buster seems entitled 10 lead the procession
Old timers tell Of an enormous grizzly that
was on exhibition at San Francisco In the
sos and has come down In history as weigh
ing over 1000 pounds. But nobody seems
10 have seen the bear weighed, and II isprob-
able that the estimate was q good deal
too big.
Grizzlies Weighing 800 pounds have been
shot out In the Rockies, but II was In the
autumn after the bears had gorged them
selves with sweet acorns and had put on
their winter layer Of fat, Bears In the
natural state feed themselves up In the
fall preparatory 10 alternating. II cap
tured or shot at this time they weigh several
hundred pounds more than in the spring
or summer. But Buster Brown and other
captive bears do not hibernate nor do they
take on this extra weight.
Buster il a jolly, roaring young blade OF
a bruin with a decided fondness for the
ladies. He keeps house In company with
a pleasing roly-poly young bear person OF
the female gender and the Yakuta'
variety, known to the keepers as 'Yakkie.'
Buster weighs pretty nearly three times as
much as Yakkie a fact Of which each OF
them IL now quite well aware.
The keeper, with a shrewd nod OF his
head, assures you that you can bet Buster
wears the trousers In that family But
il wasn't always like that.
When Miss Yakkie was frat put into Bus
ters enclosure he was the worst scared
bear that ever tried TO run away. He
numbered ieverishly up and down as far
from her as he could get, and II she 80 much
as looked at him he backed Of into a corner.
He souffied around on the cement hoored
pit 30 constantly, trying to escape from
his little visitor that his great horny feet
became so sore he could hardly walk. Yet
lame and sore as he was he was in such
mortal terror Of Yakkie that he would
hobbe TO the furthest corner as soon as
she glanced his way. Finally the keepers
had TO put him in the house and shut the
gate between him and the lady 80 that he
could rest in security
Having allowed him to reoupe rate a
little they turned him egain into the pit
where the little bear was calmly making
herself at home Buster was once more
paralyLed with terror
To make matters worse. Yakkie evinoed
friendly curiosity and tagged around
after him until she finally oornered him.
Even then she kept coming closer, and
Buster Brown, not knowing how otherwise
to escape her, reared up on his hind feet.
When he stands up that way he is about
ten feet tall and is a magnificent creature.
But Yakkie was totally unimpressed, and
"a for Buster he still looked timidly down
his nose at her as she shifted around his
feet
But he couldn't stand up there forever.
He stuck it out as long as he could, then he
had TO come down to all fous, That brought
their noses together, and 10 Busters evil
dent surprise Yakkie did not Immediately
proceed TO eat him alive.
They soon made friends after that but
Buster remained in wholesome awe Of his
companion until they had set-to over
something, and he made the pleasing dis
covery that he could knock her galley west
without half trying. Since then he has,
as the keeper said, worn the trousers
He seems very fond Of Yakkie, but that
has not prevented his casting an apprecia-
tive eve on Mrs. Minnie, spouse Of big polar
Dick next door. Minnie Ia rather a hirta-
tiouS lady and had noticed Buster on several
occasions. Thus encouraged Buster laid
himself out 70 please and haunted that side
Of his pit, which ia separated only by a
stout iron lattice work from the home OF
Dick and Minnie.
Dick already had several green spots on
his back, where he had rubbed the paint
from the iron fence, but a violent attack OF
jealousy soon made him about fourteen
shades greener in spirit than any Of these
spots were. Whenever Buster was hang
ing around the lattice Dick would chase
Minnie over 20 the far side OF their abode
and keep her there. for the next pit on that
side is occupied by the old grizzly, who was
considered too old for flirting.
Dick could not keep constant watch
however, 30 II happened that one day
when Buster was gazing through the lattice
Minnie ambled over 70 that side and said
@Howdy,' Buster was enchanted.
He thrust out a friendly tongue, and as
the holes in the lattice are a little over
an inch square, the tip Of his tongue stuck
through one Of these holes, Then it was
that Minnie showed what kind OF person
she is; for in spite Of the fact that she had
led him on-every bear in the row knows
it-she pretended to be very much insulted
and up and bit on all she could get OF the
end OF his tongue, that being fully half an
inoh
Buster bled frightfully and the ardor
Of his admiration for Minnie suffered a
considerable frost, 30 that Dick does not
have quite 80 much cause for jealousy in
that quarter as he once did. Yet he has
his hands full, for Buster still signifies that
he is sensible Of Minnie's fascination. while
on the other side the old grizzly 10 falling
an unexpected victim TO the same charms,
II is queer how these bears differ in
temperament Buster las ohaarful eolIa-