116 WILD LIFE CONSERVATION 



an amazing exhibition. Everywhere outside the 

 national or state parks, every bear is an Ishmael- 

 ite, on whose head a price is fixed. Knowing well 

 that every man means a rifle and sudden death, the 

 overwhelming impulse of the ursine mind is con- 

 stantly to watch for his arch-enemy, man, and flee 

 from him the instant he is discovered. In the days 

 of the old-fashioned small-bore muzzle-loading rifle, 

 the grizzly was truculent, aggressive and danger- 

 ous. To-day, a gray rabbit does not turn tail and 

 run away any more quickly or more thoroughly 

 than he. We admire the grizzly for his good sense 

 and his belief in the survival of the fittest; but we 

 do not respect his courage as much as we once did. 

 The Yellowstone Park grizzlies, and black bears 

 also, are no exceptions to the general influence of 

 peace and protection. Those bears are now famous 

 for the thorough and practical manner in which 

 they have accepted protection, and for years have 

 been reaping the benefits of it. They have become 

 confirmed grafters. They not only make daylight 

 visits to the garbage heaps at the hotels, but they 

 have been known to enter the hotels and walk about 

 in them, looking for offerings of food. Worse than 

 this, they long ago began to raid the cook-tents and 

 mess-wagons of camping parties of tourists, and 

 despoil helpless travelers of hams, sides of bacon 

 and other edibles that are of value in camps. Being 

 unable, by regulation, to shoot any bears in the 



