The Grizzly Bear 357 



exposed to misconstructions. His character is frequently 

 represented as more fierce and morose than it really is. 

 Writers say of him that he will not tolerate the presence 

 of a black bear, or the variety of this species, according 

 to Baird, the "cinnamon," in his neighborhood. They tell 

 how their boundaries are sharply defined, and remark that 

 occasionally small numbers of these less formidable mem- 

 bers of the family live as enclaves within the grizzlies* 

 territories, but are rigorously confined to their own limits. 



This is one of those wholesale statements with which 

 descriptive zoology is full. No doubt there are plenty of 

 grizzly bears that would kill any poaching relative of 

 theirs unlucky enough to encounter them. As a general 

 fact in natural history, however, the theory of the separate- 

 ness of distribution among American Ursidcs will not stand. 

 Many direct observations show it to be otherwise, and 

 Schwatka ("Along Alaska's Great River") is fully sup- 

 ported in saying that he doubts the truth of this state- 

 ment from his own experience. On Cone Hill River he 

 saw " four or five black and brown bears in an open or un- 

 timbered space of about an acre or two." 



There are spots in India appropriately called "tigerish," 

 Any one who knows the beast's ways would naturally look 

 for it in these sites. But it is very doubtful if the physical 

 features of localities have much to do with selection 

 by this species, apart from the fact that when he feels 

 himself to be in danger, a grizzly gets into the most inac- 

 cessible position possible. He loves cover under all cir- 

 cumstances, although it is not uncommon in secluded 

 situations to find these animals far out in open country ; 



