"My son, no animal is ever instantly killed, for there is always a
gradual collapse, or more or less of a movement caused by the
contraction of its muscles, before death actually comes; but when an
animal feigns death, it is always in too much of a hurry about it, and
drops instantly without a final struggle, or any hard breathing--that
is the time when one should wait and be careful.

"Then again, my son, if a wounded or cornered bear comes suddenly upon
a hunter, the beast will not at once rush at him, grab him or bite him,
but will instantly draw back, just as the hunter will do; then it will
sit up upon its haunches for a moment, as though to think over the
situation; that pause, slight as it is, gives the hunter a moment to
uncover his gun, cock it, and aim, and fire it at the beast's mouth.
In such a situation the hunter prefers to fire at its mouth, because if
shot in the heart, the bear can still lunge at the hunter before it
falls, but if struck in the mouth, the brute is dazed and stops to rub
its face; meanwhile, the hunter has a chance to re-load and try for a
shot behind the ear, as that is even more fatal than one in the heart.
But if the bear happens to be in a tree, the hunter does not try for
either the brain or the heart, because the former is usually out of
aim, and the latter is protected by the trunk or limb of the tree; so
he shoots at the small of the back for that will paralyze it and cause
it to let go hold of the tree, and drop to the ground. The fall will
leave very little fight in it, or will finish it altogether. But if
hit in the head or even in a paw, the chances are that the bear will
jump; and then watch out, for it will either run or fight!

"In hunting bears, however, the hunter must remember that he should
guard most against scent and sound betraying him, since a bear's sight
is not very keen. If the bear happens to be feeding, the hunter may