Old Ephraim, the Grisly Bear 71 



and an old male will kill and eat a cub,, es- 

 pecially if he finds it at a disadvantage. A 

 rather remarkable instance of this occurred in 

 Yellowstone National Park, in the spring of 

 1891. The incident is related in the following 

 letter written to Mr. William Hallett Phillips, 

 of Washington, by another friend, Mr. El- 

 wood Hofer. Hofer is an old mountain-man; 

 I have hunted with him myself, and know his 

 statements to be trustworthy. He was, at the 

 time, at work in the Park getting animals for 

 the National Museum at Washington, and was 

 staying at Yancey's "hotel" near Tower Falls. 

 His letter, which was dated June 2ist, 1891, 

 runs in part as follows : 



"I had a splendid Grizzly or Roachback 

 cub and was going to send him into the 

 Springs next morning the team was here, I 

 heard a racket outside went out and found 

 him dead an old bear that made an 9 1-2 inch 

 track had killed and partly eaten him. Last 

 night another one came, one that made an 8 

 1-2 inch track, and broke Yancy up in the 

 milk business. You know how the cabins stand 

 here. There is a hitching-post between the sa- 

 loon and old house, the little bear was killed 

 there. In a creek close by was a milk house, 

 last night another bear came there and 



