190 The Grizzly Bear 



That Lewis and Clark found striking differences in 

 color among these bears is, as we have seen, amply attested 

 by their journals. They not only refer to them in varying 

 terms as the "grizzly," "gray," "white," "brown," and 

 "variegated" bear, but put down at some length their own 

 conclusions and the opinions of the Indians in regard to the 

 bearing of these color variations upon species. Nor in this 

 respect is there any difference between their day and ours. 



I have seen grizzlies in all shades of color, ranging 

 from almost jet black, through the browns and creams, to 

 practically snow white; and it is, indeed, rarely that one 

 finds two of exactly the same color. It may be well, at 

 this point, to say a word in regard to the use of the word 

 "white" with reference to the grizzly bear. The word is 

 not used in a spectroscopic sense, but exactly as we use it 

 when we say that a man has white hair. If it be permis- 

 sible to say of an old man that "he had snow-white hair," 

 then I have seen grizzlies of which it was permissible to 

 say the same. I have seen them as white as a mountain 

 goat, or as white as what is commonly called a "goat-skin" 

 rug. It is not uncommon to see an old she bear with three 

 cubs, each of a different color; one, for instance, of a dark 

 brown, verging almost upon black, a second of a light buff, 

 and the third nearly white, or white as far back as the 

 shoulders. In fact, we seldom see a litter of cubs that are 

 all of the same color as the dam, or, for that matter, all of 

 the same color. Whence comes this great variation of 

 coloring I am wholly unable to say. It is, however, an 

 indisputable fact and typical of the species throughout its 

 range. 



It is interesting to note, however, in this connection, 



