SIXTH ANNUAL REPORT. 151 



We saw furrows in the snow where cubs had slid down-hill, 

 whether intentionally or not there was no means to determine. 



Ursus middeiidorffi, (Merriam). KADIAK BEAR or 



BROWN BEAR, and 

 Ursus horribilis, (Ord.j. SILVER-TIP GRIZZLY. 



Owing- to the great uncertainty regarding the geographic lim- 

 its of these bears in southern Alaska, I will not add to the con- 

 fusion already existing by attempting to differentiate them. The 

 persistence with which these two species intermix is almost hope- 

 lessly confusing. 



The natives state positively that a grizzly bear exists in the 

 mountains north of Tyonek. Both brown bear and skins re- 

 sembling grizzly bear were seen which came from the Shushitna 

 River district. One is not able to tell, from the names given by 

 the white men, what species they refer to, as they frequently use 

 the term '' grizzly " for all bears except the black bear. The 

 young of the brown bear strongly resemble the cubs of the grizzly. 

 One purchased at Porcupine City was called a grizzly, and looked 

 like one, but the skin of its mother was that of a brown bear ! 



At Kadiak I saw about a hundred bear-skins, and a more varied 

 collection of colors could not be found in any other group of 

 mammals. Bears are abundant about Iliamna and Chitina Bays, 

 but have diminished greatly in other parts of Cook Inlet. 



I am indebted to my assistant, Mr. H. H. Hicks, for the fol- 

 lowing facts relating to the habits of the so-called " brown bear " : 



" When I have found brown bears in dens with cubs, they 

 always had bedding of leaves and grass. They den up about 

 September 25th and remain until April ist. At first they do not 

 travel far from their dens, and often return to them at night. 

 Should water run into their dens during winter, they seek other 

 quarters. The usual number of cubs at a birth is one. In the 

 early part of spring their principal food consists of grass and 

 roots." 



Brown bears are abundant on Admiralty Island, a short dis- 

 tance west of Juneau. I found the grass about the mouths of 

 salmon streams beaten down as though frequented by cattle. 

 Trails in the moss, a foot in depth, led out of the timber in all 

 directions, and on the banks of the streams were large numbers 

 of salmon with onlv their bellies eaten. 



