OLD EPHRAIM, THE GRISL Y BEAR. 53 



in the plains. Hence he has held his own 

 far better than such game as the bison and 

 elk. He is much less common than formerly, 

 but he is still to be found throughout most 

 of his former range ; save of course in 

 the immediate neighborhood of the large 

 towns. 



In most places the grisly hibernates, or as 

 old hunters say " holes up," during the cold 

 season, precisely as does the black bear ; but 

 as with the latter species, those animals which 

 live farthest south spend the whole year abroad 

 in mild seasons. The grisly rarely chooses 

 that favorite den of his little black brother, a 

 hollow tree or log, for his winter sleep, seek- 

 ing or making some cavernous hole in the 

 ground instead. The hole is sometimes in a 

 slight hillock in a river bottom, but more often 

 on a hill-side, and may be either shallow or 

 deep. In the mountains it is generally a 

 natural cave in the rock, but among the foot- 

 hills and on the plains the bear usually has to 

 take some hollow or opening, and then fashion 

 it Jnto a burrow to his liking with his big dig- 

 ging claws. 



Before the cold weather sets in the bear 

 begins to grow restless, and to roam about 

 seeking for a good place in which to hole up. 

 One will often try and abandon several caves 

 or partially dug-out burrows in succession 

 before finding a place to its taste. It always 

 endeavors to choose a spot where there is 

 little chance of discovery or molestation, taking 

 great care to avoid leaving too evident trace 



