8o The Grizzly Bear 



ground squirrel. Many of them grow to weigh twenty or 

 twenty-five pounds. They are about the size of a very 

 large badger, and as several of them often live in the same 

 den, the bear, if he can reach them, obtains quite a feast. 

 It always seemed to me, however, that in the case of the 

 ground squirrel, the grizzly's game was hardly worth the 

 candle; for at best one of these little rodents is but a 

 mouthful for a bear, and in many instances I have found 

 where, after digging out cartloads of dirt and rocks, the 

 bears had had only their trouble for their pains. But no 

 amount of labor seems to daunt them. I have seen many 

 such holes that were from eight to ten feet deep and twelve 

 or fifteen feet long, where one or more grizzlies had thus 

 dug for a nest of marmots. And a few years ago, while 

 hunting through the Selkirks with Mr. G. O. Shields, we 

 came across a tremendous hole thus made by grizzlies. 

 There were literally carloads of dirt and rocks taken from 

 the opening and piled up on the mountainside, but 

 whether success had attended the diggers' efforts, and the 

 marmots had been captured, we were unable to determine. 

 When snow is on the ground it is usually possible to tell 

 whether a capture has been made from the telltale drops 

 of blood. 



It is at this season that I have most enjoyed trailing 

 the grizzly, not only because his tracks are plain, but be- 

 cause so many of his doings are written by the way. 



Some years ago, while hunting along one of these high 

 divides, I came across the track of a large grizzly that was 

 hunting squirrels and marmots. As it was quite early in 

 the morning I decided to put in the day, if necessary, 

 trying to get him. I saw that the bear had passed along 



