222 The Grizzly Bear 



occurrence, we state the locality. All animals act differ- 

 ently under different conditions, and a knowledge of these 

 is necessary to draw proper conclusions or form just judg- 

 ments. 



All through the Bitter Root Mountains there grow 

 three plants, commonly called the shooting star, the dog- 

 tooth violet, and the spring beauty. These plants may 

 also be found in the Selkirks in British Columbia. In the 

 Bitter Roots the grizzlies are very fond of the leaves of the 

 shooting star, which somewhat resemble the horse-radish. 

 This plant grows on all the marshes, along all the streams, 

 and in any place that is at all wet, and the grizzly feeds 

 on it more or less all through the summer, or until the 

 leaves get too tough. It is particularly sought for by she 

 grizzlies with cubs. But I have never, in the Bitter Roots, 

 known a grizzly bear to dig up the bulb-like roots of either 

 the dog-tooth viol-et or the spring beauty. In British 

 Columbia, on the contrary, I have yet to find the first leaf 

 nipped by a bear from the shooting star, while I have 

 seen acres of ground torn up by them for the roots of the 

 other plants. Here the argument of opportunity and 

 environment fails, and I can only record the facts without 

 offering any explanation. 



The feeding time of the grizzly depends altogether on 

 the locality. In a country where he is hunted and dis- 

 turbed, he will either leave the region altogether or will 

 come out to feed at night or just at dusk or break of day. 

 In localities where he is free from annoyance, he will feed 

 up to ten o'clock in the morning, and from two o'clock in 

 the afternoon until dark, and perhaps longer. 



In the spring, when they first come from their dens, 



