tail-end first, that they may be in a position to move out again
when necessary. No sooner, in spite of his dismay, did the tail of
the bear reach him, than the man caught hold of it. The animal,
astonished at finding some big creature below him, when he only
expected to meet with a family of bees, against whose stings his
thick hide was impervious, quickly scrambled out again, dragging up
the man, who probably shouted right lustily. Be that as it may, the
bear waddled off at a quick rate, and the honey-seeker made his way
homeward, to relate his adventure, and relieve the anxiety of his
family.


The brown bear, which lives in Siberia, may be considered among the
most good-natured of his tribe. Mr. Atkinson, who travelled in that
country, tells us that some peasants--a father and mother--had one
day lost two of their children, between four and six years of age.
It was soon evident that their young ones had wandered away to a
distance from their home, and as soon as this discovery was made
they set off in search of them.

Having proceeded some way through the wilds, they caught sight in
the distance of a large animal, which, as they got nearer, they
discovered to be a brown bear; and what was their horror to see
within its clutches their lost young ones! Their sensations of
dismay were exchanged for astonishment, when they saw the children
running about, laughing, round the bear, sometimes taking it by the
paws, and sometimes pulling it by the tail. The monster, evidently
amused with their behaviour, treated them in the most affectionate
manner. One of the children now produced some fruit, with which it
fed its shaggy playfellow, while the other climbed up on its back,