242 The Grizzly Bear 



Fort Union, where a surgeon trepanned his skull and he 

 recovered. 



In 1878 an English sportsman, named Andrew Wil- 

 liamson, visited Colorado in search of big game, and, in 

 an account of his experiences, afterward published, 

 shows himself to have been a keen observer. In his 

 chapter on the grizzly he says: "Though at least one- 

 half of the stories current in America as to the ferocity 

 of the grizzly bear do not deserve credit, yet ... he 

 must be regarded as by far the most formidable of the 

 wild animals in America, . . . one the sportsman who 

 has not thorough confidence in his aim and his ability to 

 keep cool had better, when encountered, let go in peace. 

 He will, however, if left alone, unless suddenly stumbled 

 on at close quarters (when he will get on his hind legs 

 with a 'Hough! hough!' calculated to try the strongest 

 nerves) or if it be a female with cubs, rarely if ever attack 

 man, but will, on the contrary, beat a retreat with all the 

 haste he can." 



Mr. Williamson's method of hunting, developed through 

 his observing that the grizzly in that region "seemed to 

 prefer, when he could get it, the carcass of any dead ani- 

 mal, no matter how putrid," was to put a bait near a trail 

 and watch from a place of concealment. But the grizzlies 

 were altogether too cunning to fall into this sort of am- 

 bush, and he repeatedly mentions finding, by the tracks 

 in the snow, where they had waited for his departure, fol- 

 lowed on his trail till it left the woods, and then returned 

 to eat his bait. 



Mr. Williamson finally took a leaf out of their own 

 book, tracked one of them through the snow, and killed 



