276 THE MINDS AND MANNERS 



the assailant will seize his opponent's cheek and hold on so 

 firmly that for a full minute the other can do nothing; but 

 this means little. 



In combats between bears, the one that is getting mauled, 

 or that feels outclassed, will throw himself upon the ground, 

 flat upon his back, and proceed to fight with all four sets of 

 claws in addition to his teeth. This attitude is purely defensive, 

 and often is maintained until an opportunity occurs to attack 

 with good advantage, or to escape. It is very difficult for a 

 standing bear to make a serious impression upon an antagonist 

 who lies upon his back, clawing vigorously with all four feet 

 at the head of his assailant. 



Tiger Versus Grizzly Bear. Of ten is the question asked, 

 "If a grizzly bear and a tiger should fight, which would whip 

 the other?" One can answer only with opinions and deduc- 

 tions, not by reference to the records of the ring; for it seems 

 that the terrors of the Occident and the orient have never yet 

 been matched in a fight to a finish. 



One of the heaviest tigers ever weighed, prior to 1878, 

 scaled four hundred and ninety five pounds, and was as free 

 from surplus flesh and fat as a prizefighter in the ring. He 

 stood three feet seven inches at the shoulder, measured thirty- 

 six inches around the jaws, and twenty inches around the 

 forearm. Very few lions have ever exceeded his weight or 

 dimensions. So far as I know, a wild grizzly bear of the largest 

 size has never been scaled, but it is not at all certain that any 

 California grizzly has weighed more than twelve hundred 

 pounds. The silvertip of the Rocky Mountain region is a 

 totally different animal, being smaller, as well as different in 

 color. 



In a match between a grizzly and a tiger of equal weights, 

 the activity of the latter, combined with the greater spread of 

 his jaws and length of his canine teeth, would insure him the 

 victory. The superior attack of the tiger would give him an 

 advantage which it would probably be impossible to overcome. 



