THE BIG BROWN BEARS 297 



Maine, Mississippi and many of the other States. The 

 performance of Mr. Kidder's dog was very creditable. 

 He nipped at the heels of the fleeing animals and some- 

 times attracted their attention long enough to afford 

 the hunters some good shots. 



The Alaskan bears eat berries and various kinds of 

 salmon when these fish are running in the streams. On 

 these they fatten and then hibernate like other bears. 

 The natives are very fond of bear meat, but Mr, Kid- 

 der says the flesh of the Kadiak has rather a bitter taste 

 and was too tough to be appetizing. The meat of the 

 bears killed on the Alaska peninsula, however, was ex- 

 cellent and without the strong, gamey flavor. 



The pelts of the great Alaska brown bears vary in 

 color ; their great size makes them much prized as tro- 

 phies. 



Mr. Kidder mentions besides the grizzly and black 

 bear a bear known as the glacial, or blue bear, as also 

 inhabiting Alaska. The last he estimates, from pelts 

 he has seen, to be rather smaller than the black bear. 



