The fact thai you have picked up this book means that you are,

very probably, an arctophile. There s no need to look

alarmed, however- you share this distinction with literally

millions of other perfectly sane people of all ages. An aretophile

is simpl) someone who loves bears. The word is taken from the

Greek " arktos". meaning bear, anti "philos", meaning friend.

Arctophiles everywhere agree that there is nothing like a teddy

bear for constant and unswerving companionship, comfort.

and dependability. They have been called the world s most

popular stuffed toys, tops among countless other species. Why?

Probably because real bears have such endearingly human

q ualities- they stand upright and can hug with their front

paws, without being as disturbingly close to us as monkeys or

apes.

Theodore Roosevelt. who gave his name to the teddy bear.

was very keen on real bears. He hunted them. but he also

enjoyed watching them going about their business. He

explained the attraction in his book Outdoor Pastimes of an

American Hunter, published in 1905: "On one occasion the

bear was hard at work digging up squirrel or gopher caches on

the side of a pine-clad hill; while at this work he looked rather

likea large badger.., it was extremely interesting to note the

grotesque, half-human movements, and giant awkward

strength of the great beast. He would twist the carcass around

with the utmost ease, sometimes taking it in his forepaws and

half-lifting, half shoving it. Once the bear lost his grip and

rolled over during the course of some movement, and this made

him angry, and he struck the carcass a savage whack, just as a

pettish child will strike a table against which it has knocked

itself..."

Wherever real bears are found, they inspire respect. Bears,

of course, are not to be treated lightly, being so fierce and

strong. The Indians knew all about them. Some tribes

considered them so sacred that they never hunted them. Other

tribes did, but always made sure that the dead animal s bones

were arranged in the right order, so that he would not reach the

Happy Hunting Ground crippled.