lHrf7.] PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 18,3 



the pack of dogs that pursued it from iioou until nightfall, and escaped, 

 although leading them all the way by a much blood-bespattered trail. 



In following this Bear across the many steep-banked gulches that it 

 had sought in its precipitate flight, we observed that it had descended 

 all favorable declivities by rolling, heels over head, to the bottom, ap- 

 parently gaining time by headlong tumbles down hill. This, as I was 

 afterwards told by Indians, is not an unusual trick with wounded or 

 frightened bears. 



Californian examples of Ursus americanus are remarkable for variety 

 of coloration. During the month of November, 1883, Mr. J. B. Camp- 

 bell and the writer trapped four Bears on McCloud Eiver, one of which 

 was glossy black, another dark brown, and two almost yellowish. 



The usual method of trapping is to fasten the bait to a tree Just out 

 of reach of the Bear, and place the trap, concealed by leaves, &c., where 

 the animal (a bear, or possibly a panther) must spring it with its feet in 

 attempting to reach the meat. We collected skins and skeletons of 

 deer on the same trip, and our custom was to search for Bear signs 

 where intestines and other useless parts of deer had been left at the 

 time of shooting on previous days, as the Bears were quite likely to 

 revisit such windfalls on following nights, and there set our tra^). 



One very large Bear dragged the trap and the piece of sapling to which 

 it was secured (for the trap should not be fastened immovably) over the 

 high ridges east of the McCloud to the Squaw Creek side of '^ the 

 divide," a distance of several miles, taking it entirely out of our neigh- 

 borhood. Traveling with these " impediments" in tow, the Bear, of 

 course, left a very distinct trail, but it required six hours or more to 

 overtake and shoot him, so tortuous and rugged was liis way. The re- 

 turn from such a hunt is even harder than the pursuit, for the heavy 

 skin and a little of the meat are load enough for one man, and the two 

 guns and the, trap are rather more than a load for the other man, with 

 much chaparral to struggle through and night coming on. A good 

 bear trap with its chain weighs 30 pounds, and costs half as much as 

 the average rifle does. 



Ursus horribilis Orel. Grizzhj Bear : Wl-ma, of Ihr WhiUuin. 



This animal is rare in Northern California, but I heard of a few 

 instances of its capture within late years. While in Lassen County, 

 several hunters reported the presence of a very large Grizzly along the 



