232 The Grizzly Bear 



upon it. This incident (so puzzhng to the writer of the 

 journal and so interesting to us with our more intimate 

 knowledge of the species) we will discuss later on. On 

 June 27th we find the account of the hunters who climbed 

 a large tree and raised a shout, whereupon a grizzly 

 "rushed toward them" and was killed. Also the account 

 of a grizzly having come within thirty yards of camp in 

 the night and stolen some buffalo meat. On June 28th 

 "the white bears have become exceedingly troublesome." 

 They "infest the camp at night." "They have not at- 

 tacked us, as our dog, which patrols all night, gives us 

 notice." Yet the party is "obliged to sleep with our 

 arms by our sides for fear of accident." Then, further, 

 we have instances where men, carrying meat to camp, 

 have been either frightened or confronted by bears, but no 

 actual mention of attack. And the further accounts deal 

 with the grizzly in the mountains and on the Pacific 

 slope of the Rockies, and speak of them as much less 

 fierce than those first encountered. 



Now there is little in these recorded facts that differs 

 materially from what I should expect to find among 

 grizzlies, attacked under similar circumstances with simi- 

 lar weapons to-day. It is true that I should expect even 

 fewer of them to show fight, and it is in this regard 

 that I should feel inclined to answer "Yes" to the question 

 as to whether the nature of the grizzly has changed in the 

 past century. I have seen elaborate arguments uphold- 

 ing the theory that contact with man has changed this 

 bear from a savage and aggressive brute to a wary and 

 cautious animal, but my own opinion is that contact with 

 man has merely added to his native caution. 



