The log cabin Democrat., 1909-11-08

each other beneath the clear wintry sky of the Polar regions
 White fox is rare game, while the white bear is a formidable adversary, who must be shot from a distance, and who frequently attacks the hunters, should he be only slightly wounded The most productive and the least dangerous animal to hunt, although great hardships have to be under gone, is the hair-seal, or phoque. This animal. when the thaw comes. con- gregates on the dislodged icebergs in shoals of 10000 to 30,000 at a time. The young animals the most valu- able) can oppose no resistance to their slayers. In most cases the only weap on used is club; a vigorous blow on the nose of a hair-seal is sufficient to kill it at once. The older animals, however, who occasionally attack the hunters, and weigh from IA to 16 cwt.. have to be killed by rife bullet.
 The slaughtered animals are cut up then and there, and the skins and the blubber only are dragged to the camps, and thence sold to the out posts, who forward them to the Strut ton islands.
 Black bear are very numerous Tn all parts of the country; they grow to a large size and carry finer belts than in any other part of the American continent l saw a skin which had been killed in the previous spring that was well over eight feet, very large size for this species. Some of these bears have a large white patch on the chest, others have only small white spot, while in most cases the general pelage is a rich glossy black all over. On the Upper Stikine there is local variety which has at all times smoke grey hair over the whole of the back It is only a local variety and not a sub species. since cubs may be seen with the mother, who is often jet black all over. The general habits of the black bear are so well known that l need only say a few words as they apply to the animal in Cassiar. In this dis trict they leave their hibernating holes early in May, and if the weather is II grass springs up on the hillsides Here they feed greedily for month. and are generally in poor condition. but in fine fur At this season the h. dians hunt them little and k-il few, for whose hides they get about s15 The hunters have no fear of them. even when accompanied by cubs, for hot oIt kn bear female will often charge up 10 a man who gets between her and her offspring. they never charge home, but only rush up showing their teeth at the intruder. If a man stands still these bears invariably depart. There have been instances In the district when men have been mauled by black bears. but these misfortunes are chify due to excessive carelessness or the fact that the bear has been fired at by the hunter when the animal was on the hillside above the the hunt CT and came rolling down to his feet In such a case some years ago, a Thlinget on the Iskoot could not re. treat. or lost his head at the last mo. ment, ana was atlaCkeO ana DltteD to death Such instances are, however, extremely rare In former days black bears were so abundant at the june. tion of the Iskoot and Stikine that one Thaltan Indian armed only with an old muzzle-loader killed nine in one day Nowadays any hunter should kill two or three grizzlies and four or five black bears in a fortnight's spring hunting on the Stikine.
 As the summer goes on black bears become much shyer and are seldom seen. since they keep to the dense forest; but in early September they repair to the large rivers and small streams and live largely on dead and dying salmon varied with berry diet They remain by the rivers until late in October and then return to the woods and precipitous hills before searching out some secluded lair iu which to sleep for the winter
 JAMES II. WEAVER