Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1914-02-27

sition to growl.
A bear behind cage-bars
has small charm for me; he isn't what
you might call sprightly enough. 1t is
out upon his native heath. with burs
in his coat and the stain of wild rasp-
berries on his nose that he is truly
interesting. Not that l have exactly
seen those. raspberry stains, but !
have lately met bears under condi-
lions which made such stains logical,
writes Meta Marquis in Los Angeles
Times.
The dictionary says bear is a
plantigrade carnivorous mammal of
the genus Ursus | wouldn't be sur
prised if he is. The first bears We
saw in the Yellowstone hooked just
that way
This was at Gibbon, lunch camp
on the way to the Upper Geyser Basin.
1t was our first day of travel in the
park, and we were a-gape for sensa.
tons, so when the cry of Bears"
was raised, we raced around the cor
ner of the dining tent, into the pines
at the edge of the camp, to see what
was there.
We were just in time to witness the
most spectacular tree-climbing exhibi-
tion of our lives. A little black cub
had been chased away from piece of
meat by bigger brown bear, and the
pine tree left one in no doubt what
ever as to the tree-climbing ability of
black bear kind. They we're spright-
ly enough to suit the most fastidious.
There were five or six bears in evil
dence altogether at this camp. They
ought to be--and apparently were
the most blase animals in the world,
fed for the sake of their advertising
value. stared at day after day by
hordes of tourists, and photographed
by armies OF kodakers.
But our real intimacy with bears
began later, at Yellowstone lake.
Find More Bears.
After dinner on the evening of our
arrival at the lake, we set out to hunt
up bears. This was the customary
thing to do. A whole party of us
went down the dusky road between
the pine trees toward the hotel cut
across the hotels back yard, skirted
an imposing woodpile. and struck a
narrow path leading through the
woods to a clearing where the refuse
from the tables is dumped.
Other parties were on their way,
AID we found goodly company of
pleasant people already there when
we people who would no
more spend an hour in such close
proximity to garbage heap under
ordinary circumstances than they
would go into the rags, sacks and bot
ties business.
Two swaddie-park parlance for sol
diers--were at hand, each with his
little gun. ready to fire upon any rude
bear which showed a disposition to
mistake tourist for discarded pork
chop.
And out In the clearing, about
block away, four big black bears we're
nosing around in search of their even |
Ing meal.
We stood patiently and waited for
something to happen. Nothing did |
however. except that the lovely color |
in the sunset sky above the pines was |
changing momentarily. | wanted to |
watch the reflections of that color on
the lake. That would be more excit.
Ing than four stupid bears block
away. So / excused myself and went
back alone to commune with the twi-
light
OF course, | missed the big event by
30 doing. -Four great grizzlies. the
size of cows, came charging out of
the woods together Just after l left.
put the black bears to rout like so
many dogs, and reigned over the re-
use dump with true silver-tfp selfish
hess.
felt that | had chosen the better
part, however. / saw the softest OF
pearly lights over the lake and the
splendid mountains opposite. In the
vest pink-and-salmon glow burned
'oftiy, with the black pines standing
n sharp silhouette against IT, Then
he salmon turned a delicate blue. and
he rose light Ieaped across the lake
o the far mountains, where 1t faded
gently into mauve and violet, with
me white star shining down and bury
ng its beams In the bosom of the
Hear wcters.
The next morning. Phyllis and 7,