XVIII 



THE GRIZZLY BEAR 



IN North America there are only two game-animals 

 whose pursuit may be said to be attended with 

 much danger — the grizzly bear and the Arctic or 

 polar bear. The huge grizzly bear, technically Ursus 

 horribilis, is undoubtedly entitled to rank first in feroc- 

 ity among the bears of the world. Ever since Lewis 

 and Clark discovered him he has been known as 

 an extremely dangerous beast, and countless stories 

 have been written of encounters which resulted dis- 

 astrously for the hunter. Roosevelt, however, has 

 pointed out the fact that he was far more dangerous 

 in the days when small-bore, muzzle-loading rifles, 

 carr3dng a light ball, were used than he is to-day. If 

 the first shot at close range did not stop the bear, there 

 was no time to reload the old-fashioned rifle if the 

 wounded bear charged ; and the hunter had to resort 

 to his knife in a hand-to-hand fight, and the great beast 

 was often able to finish him with one blow of his large 

 and powerful claws. There are many records of 

 wounded bears killing persons. There are records of 

 a single blow proving fatal. 



In a valuable paper, "Grizzly Bear Lore," Mr. 

 Henry G. Tinsley says: 



" In the old days of the Spanish occupation of Cali- 



257 



