110 CONSERVATION OF CANADIAN WILD LIFE 
to obtain without much trouble. Scavenging is a favourite 
occupation, and near human habitations their predilection 
for garbage is well known. In the autumn they take full 
advantage of nature’s lavish provision of wild fruits. Wild 
strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, and other 
small fruits are greedily devoured, together with the more 
satisfying acorns and beechnuts, which enable them to lay 
up the necessary store of fat for absorption during the win- 
ter’s rest and enforced fast. In British Columbia I have 
seen orchards bordering the woods assiduously robbed by 
bears, which may become a nuisance on this account. 
In spite of its shyness and normal desire to escape when 
man approaches, the black bear can be a dangerous animal 
when her cubs are in danger or when the adult animal is 
wounded or cornered. On such occasions it can prove a 
formidable foe to an unarmed man. But under ordinary 
circumstances the black bear is no more to be feared than 
most of the timid creatures of the woods. 
KERMODE’S WHITE BrEar (Ursus kermodet) 
On the islands of the northern coast of British Columbia, 
and on the adjacent coast of the mainland, is to be found a 
white bear. The type specimen was killed on Gribbell 
Island in May, 1904, by Mr. F. Kermode, the director of 
the Provincial Museum, Victoria, B. C., after whom the 
species was named. Mr. Kermode informs me that this 
interesting species, which is illustrated herewith, is found 
from South Bentinck Arm to Burke Channel, north along 
the coast region, including Swindle, Princess Royal, Gribbell, 
and all the larger islands except the Queen Charlotte group; 
to Nass River, and up the Skeena River as far as Kitsum- 
gallum. 
The records of specimens killed, which are given in the 
Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History, show 
