BEAR BOBS NATURALIST'S CABIN AT LONGMIRE
Betty, the brown bear with the three cubs, has plied the highwayman's
profession for three years, but not being entirely satisfied with her
labors in that line has added house-breaking as a side line. Perhaps
the three husky youngsters to provide for has made it necessary to add
some other means of income.
At all events when the Naturalist at Longmire came in from a day's
tramp in the hills on Thursday he found his pantry bare as Mother
Hubbard's cupboard. Having left it fairly well stocked and finding it
not disarranged but some eatables gone, he naturally thought that
someone had robbed him.
Neighbors, however, hearing loud outcries in the forest about the
cabin had witnessed the whole performance. Betty, the mother bear,
finding the small window open had entered the cabin and going into the
pantry had neatly extracted a bag of cookies. Taking these out to the
waiting cubs and opening the bag she was vociferously greeted. Cookies,
yelled the cubs, nice sugar coated and chocolate covered cookies, and
their shouts of satisfaction aroused the neighborhood. But one bag of
cookies was only a pittance to three hungry cubs and Betty returned to
the pantry and got a bag of boiled ham which was still tied up in its
original covering. The neighbors arrived just in time to see her emerge
from the window with the next course for the waiting cubs. Ham, yelled
the little bears. Kind neighbors intervened at this stage of the
proceedings and closed the windows else we fear our pantry would not
have been in the neat condition we found it on our return.
By Charles Landes, Ranger Naturalist.
CICADIA
A new song is heard along the mountain trails, the song of the
Cicadia or seventeen year locust. Never before have I heard the
strident tones of the Cicadia along the trails as this year. Along the
Glacier Trail where the hot sun beats against the side of the cliff and
only a few mountain alder gives shelter, they are especially
numerous.
The Cicadia is an insect with a long period of development in its
life history, one variety taking 17 years to complete this life history.
They are not common to our high altitude but like a hot climate.
By Charles Landes, Ranger Naturalist.
