98 NEIGHBORS WITH CLAWS AND HOOFS. 



13. " Poor Bruin ! after his winter's nap he must in- 

 deed have got up on the wrong side of the bed, for he 

 became so unbearably troublesome and subject to such 

 angry moods, that, at the early age of about three years, 

 he was doomed to death, and executed accordingly." 



14. The largest and most savage of all bears is the 

 grizzly, of the Kocky Mountains and Pacific coast. He 

 is a flesh-eater, and does not hesitate to attack man or 

 beast. He is hard to kill, and very dangerous when 

 wounded. Bullets are fatal only when they pierce his 

 heart or brain, and an instance is related of a bear that lived 

 twenty minutes with two bullets through his heart. With 

 his enormous size and long plantigrade foot, the gait of 

 the grizzly has much more of the shuffle than other bears, 

 and it seems that he trots with his fore-feet and drags his 

 hind-quarters. But he goes over the ground with great 

 speed, and a man on foot would stand a poor chance to 

 get out of his way. 



15. This is the story which an old hunter tells of a 

 grizzly : " One day I rode out alone, armed with my 

 rifle. In the midst of a plain, covered with wild clover, I 

 saw a grizzly rolling on the soft herbage, with his paws 

 playing stupidly in the air. The cattle not far distant 

 were watching this movement, and a bull advanced toward 

 it, drawn, it seemed to me, by curiosity. The bull gradu- 

 ally drew nearer the bear, the herd following him, graz- 

 ing as they went. He forced his way through the tall 

 clover until he came within fifty yards, bellowing and 

 tearing up the earth. The bear moved less, only now arid 

 then rolling a little to stir the field. 



16. " The curiosity of the bull now changed into 

 anger; he came slowly up, snorting and bellowing, and 

 at length stepped suddenly forward and plunged at the 

 bear, who caught him in his powerful arms and held him 



