CARNIVORA. 243 



panions while asleep, as the track of her paws 

 most clearly demonstrated, and then went to their 

 canoe, which she plundered of all the eatables. It 

 seems to he an understood thing among the back- 

 woodsmen not to meddle with " Caleb," for, on 

 this occasion, when Mr. Catlin was going to fire, 

 although he and his companions had embarked, 

 and were on the water, it was overruled : con- 

 sidering that the species swims exceedingly fast, 

 and that it can bear several bullets through the 

 lungs without arresting its progress, the resolution 

 to depart may have been very proper. In most 

 cases, this bear is not disposed to attack human 

 beings if unmolested ; it will rear itself on the hind 

 legs, show its teeth, then turn round to depart, and, 

 perhaps, again repeat the same menace ; on other 

 occasions, it may be scared by noise, such as that 

 Mr. Drummond used, by beating a large tin box ; 

 still, it is by far the most formidable animal of the 

 American Continent, capable of striking down a 

 bull bison, notwithstanding its enormous strength, 

 and of dragging the carcase to a convenient place, 

 there to bury it, in order to have several meals from 

 the prey, which may weigh from 1000 to 1200 or 

 more pounds. The bears from the eastern side of the 

 rocky mountains, more abundantly supplied with 

 animal food, are much more ferocious than those 

 on the west, where they are in a great measure 

 subsisting on berries. The species extends to the 

 north beyond the latitude of 61, and to the south 

 into the Mexican territories. 



