An elusive creature of the forest, the black bear is known to almost everyone, but few have seen him in his natural haunts. The diet of this 250-pounder consists of grubs, nuts, bulbs, and berries, especially his favorite meal-blueberries.

The bear cub is a miniature of his mother, made of a block 3/4 inch thick, 1 1/4 inches high, and 1 3/4 inches long. The mother's block is 1 1/4 inches thick, 2 1/2 inches high, and 3 3/4 inches long. The patterns are shown with the directions of the grain. Figure 65.

Figure 65

Figure 66

These figures are easy to carve because there is not much intricate work to be done. The head is rounded out first, Figure 66, allowing a width of 1/4 inch across the nose and tapering the face from the ears to the nose.

The ears are ball shaped and about 1/2 inch apart. Figure 67. The tail is stubby and about inch wide. Figure 68.

Figure 67

Figure 68

Figure 69A

Figure 70

Cut the base block 3/4 inch thick, 2 1/2 inches wide, and 5 inches long; carve and shape the bear cub as in the photo, Figure 69A. Then glue both figures to the base block as shown in the photo on page 45. Leave the figures rough because the knife cuts give the likeness of fur. Figure 69B.

Color as shown in Figure 70.