the bear had rolled and wallowed about in the 

 snow. 



Elsewhere, another year, about the middle of 

 March, I examined much-worn pathways near a 

 grizzly's den. These had been made at least three 

 weeks before and had been used a number of times. 

 One pathway led to the base of a cliff that faced 

 the east, where the bear had probably lain in the 

 morning sun. Another led to a much-used spot 

 that caught the afternoon sun. 



Perhaps a bear sometimes becomes tired or rest- 

 less during his long winter sleep. Now and then he 

 comes forth in spring with the fur worn off his 

 hips, back, or shoulders. He may kill time, when 

 through sleeping, with a short excursion outside the 

 den. If the den is large, he sometimes tramples 

 about like a caged animal. 



Climatic conditions, the altitude at which the bear 

 hibernated, and other factors determine the time 

 when grizzlies leave their dens. Most of them come 

 forth during March, but stragglers may not appear 

 until late in April. Mothers with cubs remain in 

 the den a few weeks longer than bears without cubs. 



At the limits of tree growth, one cold March day, 

 I came upon the tracks of a grizzly bear descend- 



90 



