That is one of the wonderful things about many wild animals--they are of the _same color as the place where they live_. You know that the color of a lion is yellow, like the color of sand; and the lion lives in countries where there are lots of sandy places. You know, too, that the color of a tiger is yellow, but with black stripes upon the yellow, so that if you looked at him from a distance, you might think he was made up of yellow and black stripes. And the tiger lives in the tall gra.s.s, which also looks like yellow and black stripes.
But now I shall tell you more about the polar bear. He has three other special things: the _soles_ of his feet are _hairy_; he has a _small head_; and he has a _long neck_.
First, about the soles of his feet. The soles of the feet of other bears are smooth, just like the feet of all other animals that have to walk on ordinary ground. But the soles of the polar bear are covered with long hair, just as is his body. Why? Because he has to walk on ice, which is very slippery, and he needs to have the soles of his feet covered with hair, or else he would slip on the ice, just as you must wear rubbers over your shoes when you have to walk on icy ground.
Now, my dear, just stop for a minute, and think. Among all the wonderful things that I have told you so far, you have always noticed that an animal always has _just the very thing he needs! We_ have to _make_ rubbers, and warm coats, and gloves, and socks, and a dozen things that we need. But to every animal G.o.d has given everything that he needs, right on his body.
But now let us go on with the polar bear. He has a smaller head than any other kind of bear. Why? To make it easier for him to put his head through the hole in the ice, when he is catching fish. Other kinds of bears do not have to put their heads into a hole to get anything to eat; so they do not need to have a small head.
The polar bear has also a longer neck than any other kind of bear.
Why? To give him a longer reach in catching the fish with his jaws--without tumbling into the water himself. Other bears, who live on dry land, do not need to reach out like that, and so they have shorter necks.
I shall now tell you about these other kinds of bears.
_American Bears_
First you shall hear about the bears that live in America. The biggest kind is called the _grizzly bear_. In fact, he is the largest bear in the world. Some grizzly bears are ten feet tall when they stand up on their hind legs!
The color of a grizzly bear is yellow, but with many shades; sometimes between brown and yellow, and sometimes between red and yellow. Teddy bears, with which you have played, are sometimes made of that color. Teddy bears of course are very nice, as they are toys; but I am sorry to say that the real grizzly bear is not nice; he is very fierce. In fact, he is the only kind of bear that is so fierce. Even grown-up men do not want to go near him.
The grizzly is found in many parts of North America, near the Rocky Mountains, from the United States right up to Alaska. He lives on berries and all kinds of fruits, and also on the soft roots of trees.
But the grizzly bear eats meat also, if he can manage to catch deer or cattle. That is why cowboys in Colorado and Wyoming do not like the grizzly bear--he tries to kill and eat their cows.
Besides, he kills a lot of fish. In the Columbia River in Oregon there are lots of trout and shad, which people like to have for their dinner. But the grizzly bear gets to the river first, and eats a great many of the trout and the shad. How does he catch the fish? Why, he just lies down along the bank, and waits for the fish to rise to the top of the water. The trout and the shad like to rise to the top of the water now and again, and swim there. So the grizzly just waits for a fish to rise--and then he pounces on it and catches it with his paw. He is so very quick that he hardly ever misses. All kinds of bears are very clever in catching fish.
_Other Bears_
Another kind of bear is called the _brown bear_. He lives in Europe, Asia, and also in some parts of America, especially in Alaska. There he is rather big, though not quite so big as the grizzly bear. He too lives on berries, fruits, and roots, and he also catches fish. For in the rivers of Alaska there are lots of salmon.
But the brown bear is not at all fierce, like the grizzly bear. He is peace-loving, and sometimes quite friendly.
The nicest kind of bear is called the _black bear_. He is found in all parts of the United States, and in many other countries. He is sometimes rather small, and is quite full of fun. Almost all the good stories you may hear about bears are about the black bear.
Many people mistake the black bear for the brown bear; so when you sometimes hear people talking about a "brown" bear, you may know that they really mean a "black" bear.
Like other bears, the black bear lives on berries, fruits, and roots, and also on nuts, if he can find any. But what he likes best is honey!
It is quite amusing to see the bear hold a honeycomb in one paw, scoop out the honey with the other, and put it into his mouth. It looks just like a boy holding a pot of jam in one hand, and sticking his fingers into the jam and putting it on his tongue!
"But do not the bees get angry, and try to sting him?" you may ask.
Of course they do. The bees swarm around the bear and try to sting him all over. But they cannot! He is _too hairy_! They cannot get through the hair to sting him on the skin. So he goes on licking the honey and smacking his lips!
The black bear is always a funny animal. Perhaps you have seen him in the zoo. He will squat on the ground like a man, and if he sees a crowd of people before him, he will swing his arms just as a man does when he talks to a friend. Perhaps the bear has seen some men do that, and has learned to do the same!
And sometimes he will sit on the ground, hold his tail in his mouth, and fumble head over heels, or roll over and over, or spin round and round--just for fun! In fact, the black bear is among the _few grown-up animals that love to play_. Many _young_ animals of course, such as kittens, puppy dogs, calves, and many others, love to play.
But most grown-up animals do not seem to care for play, except the black bear.
When he is caught and tamed, he is still very playful at times. He will do all sorts of funny tricks, all by himself; and if he sees anyone watching him, he will try to show how clever he is--just like a child playing "smarty!"
Once in a lumber camp in the West the men caught and tamed a black bear. After a time the bear was allowed to walk about the camp, quite free, as he did not think of running away. One day the men had stopped work to have their dinner. The bear walked by, and the men petted him and said nice things to him. Then what do you think happened! The bear felt so proud of being praised that he went to a sloping log, and walked along it right to the top. You must know that in a lumber camp there are lots and lots of huge logs, or trees which the men have cut down. And one of these logs happened to rest on a slope, that is, with one end higher than the other.
When the bear reached the top of the log, he sat across it. Then he held on to the log with his front paws, bent his body, and slid down the log--just as a boy slides down the banister! Of course the men laughed, and cheered him. Then just guess what that bear did!
He walked up to the top of the log again, and sat across it, as before. But now he held on to the log with his knees, not his paws, and sat straight up without bending, and slid down the log in that way--just as a boy might hold on to the banister with his knees, not using his hands at all, and slide down the banister in that way, just to show how smart he could be!
You may be sure those men cheered the bear, and gave him lots to eat.
There is another kind of black bear that is also funny, though in another way. He is called the _Himalayan black bear_, because he lives in India near some huge mountains called the Himalayas. In many ways he is very much like the black bear of America, but he has a _white chin_ and _long side-whiskers on his jaws_. Some people think that of all kinds of bears he is the most handsome.
Although he often goes up very high on the side of the mountains, he sometimes comes down to the country below, where there are many villages. But the bear is quite friendly, and never hurts the people in the villages, although he is strong enough to kill a man. So the people are also very kind and friendly to him, and never try to hurt him. When you grow up you may read that there are some people in India who are always kind to _all_ animals, tame or wild.[2]
[Footnote 2: _To the Teacher._--Please explain to the cla.s.s that the sect called Jains do not hurt the smallest creature, and will suffer the sting of a wasp rather than kill it.]
[Ill.u.s.tration: Himalayan Black Bear]
I am telling you this because you will see very soon what we gain by being friendly even to a wild animal. The Himalayan black bear, like the other black bear, is also very fond of honey, and of everything sweet. In the country where he lives there grows a berry called mawa, which is very sweet--even sweeter than the strawberry; and the people of the villages make jam from it.
These berries grow quite wild, on bushes here and there in the fields, and even in the jungles near by. When the berries are ripe, the people send out their children to gather them from the bushes in the fields; and the children carry baskets so as to bring back as many berries as they can.
But when the berries are ripe, the bears also want to eat them! So it sometimes happens that half a dozen children are picking the berries from a thick bush, when suddenly a bear comes round the bush and starts gobbling up the berries as fast as he can!
Do the children get frightened and run away? Not a bit! They want _their_ share of the berries, too!
By this time the bush may be getting empty, and the children have not quite filled their baskets. The bear keeps on gobbling up the berries, and even pushing past the children to get at a bunch. What then? Why, the children raise their hands, and _just spank the wild bear_!
"Go away, you have had enough!" they say. "Can"t you go to another bush? There must be others right in the jungle, where _we_ can"t go!"
And, can you imagine it, a wild bear there has never hurt a child!
When the children spank him and push him away, telling him that he has had enough from that bush, he _does_ go away to some other bush. Of course, the spanking does not really hurt him.
I have told this to you, my dear, just to show you that there is never any real reason for quarreling and fighting, among children, or even among men. _If children and wild bears can get along together_, why cannot children and children, or men and men, or nations and nations?
Surely there are enough berries and other good things for all, if we only look around!
Remember this always, even when you grow up, if you want to be good men and women, and good citizens of your country.
CHAPTER XIV
Bears: The Tricky Trap
Now I am going to tell you something funny about the bear. You have seen lots of wild animals in the zoo, and you may sometimes have wondered how these animals were caught. In another book I shall tell you all about the different ways of catching different kinds of wild animals; but now I shall only tell you how a wild bear is caught. Of course, there are two or three ways of catching him alive, but I shall describe to you now just one way.
You must know by this time that everybody in the world--whether man, woman, or child--has _some fault_. Some have a bad temper, others are rude, and still others are obstinate; and many, especially children, are too greedy! And so it is among animals: they all have one fault or another.