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 _