Excerpt from Animate Creation, Vol. 2: Popular Edition of Our Living World; A Natural History

America furnishes several species of the Bear tribe, two of which, the Grizzly Bear and the musquaw, or black bear, are the most conspicuous.

The Black Bear is found in many parts of Northern America, and was formerly seen in great plenty. But as the fur and the fat are articles of great commercial and social value, the hunters have exercised their craft with such determination that the Black Bears are sensibly diminishing in number. The chase of this Bear is an extremely dangerous one, and there are but very few Bear-hunters, however dexterous they may be, who do not in the end succumb to the claws and teeth of one of these powerful animals. Although it is naturally a very quiet and retiring creature, keeping itself aloof from mankind, and never venturing near his haunts except when incited by the pangs of fierce hunger, it is a truly furious beast when hemmed in by its antagonists, and all hope of escape cut oil. Seated erect, with its eyeballs darting fury, its ears laid closely upon its head, its tongue lolling out of its mouth, and every gesture glow ing with fierce energy, it presents a sight that is sufficient to unnerve any but an experienced hunter, who has learned by long practice to preserve a cool demeanor under the most exciting circumstances. Horses are almost useless at such a juncture, for unless they have been most carefully trained to the task, they are seized with such mental terror at the Sight and scent of the infuriate animal that they give way to their frantic fears, and become wholly u'hmanage able by their rider. As the Bear stands, or rather sits at bay, it deals such terrible and rapid blo'ws with its ready paws that it strikes down the attacking dogs as if they were so many rab bits, and ever and anon makes a furious charge at its enemies. Nothing but a rifle-ball seems to check the creature when it is wrought up to this pitch of fury, for even the severest wounds from a knife seem, unless they reach the heart, to have only the effect of exciting the animal to more furious rage.

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