CALIFORNIA. 41 



scribed. They are called here by the names of well- 

 known kinds ; small lions, wolves, and young stags, 

 goats, and rabbits. But their most terrible inmate 

 is the bear, which, according to the accounts of" the 

 hunters, is uncommonly large, powerful, savage, 

 and tenacious of life. He attacks men and ani- 

 mals, though there is no want of vegetable food, 

 and collects, in countless troops, round the dead 

 whales that are cast on the beach. The colour of 

 his fur changes from brown into very light, and is 

 frequently spotted with other colours. It does not 

 appear to be the white bear of Lewis and Gierke, 

 and is not the well-known American black bear. 

 To judge by the one we saw, (a young female,) we 

 could not distinguish it from the European brown 

 bear, and the skull, which Professor Rudolphi has 

 examined, seems to him to belong to this species. 

 The Spaniard is very skilful in catching this danger- 

 ous beast with the noose, and takes pleasure in its 

 combat with the bull. The whales and seals of 

 the north visit this coast ; the sea-lion is common, 

 and the sea-otter now no where more frequent 

 than here. 



There is an uncommon number and variety of 

 birds, the Ono/w^^^/^amm/* is found in innumerable 

 flocks. We did not see a single kind of the family 

 of creepers, and a splendid humming-bird seemed 

 to be a stranger which had strayed hither from the 

 south. 



Melancholy lieelings attend our offering a few 



