116 



THE SUN-BEAK AND THE NENNOOK. 



iu the head or heart it will continue its furious struggles, even though 

 it be riddled with bullets and its body pierced with many a gaping 

 wound. These warlike capacities render the creature respected by the 

 natives and colonists, and the slaughter of a Grizzly Bear in fair fight is 

 considered an extremely high honor. Among the native tribes that 

 dwell in the northern portions of America, the possession of a necklace 



formed from the claws 

 of the Grizzly Bear is 

 considered as enviable 

 a mark of distinction as 

 a blue ribbon among 

 the English. No one 

 is permitted to wear 

 such an ornament un- 

 less the Bear has fallen 

 under his hand; conse- 

 quently, the value of the 

 decoration is almost in- 

 calculable. So largely 

 is this mark of distinc- 

 tion prized that the In- 

 dian who has achieved 

 such a dignity can hard- 

 ly be induced to part 

 with his valued ornament by any remuneration that can be offered. 



The color of the Grizzly Bear is extremely variable — so much so, 

 indeed, that some zoologists have suggested the existence of two 

 distinct species. Sometimes the color of the fur is a dullish brown, 

 plentifully flecked with grizzled hairs, and in other specimens the entire 

 fur is of a beautiful steely gray. 



There is a small group of these animals called Sun-Beaes, from 

 their habit of basking in the sun instead of hiding in their dens during 

 the hours of daylight. A very curious example of the Sun-Bears is 

 found in the species which is known by the name of the Bruang or 

 Malayan Sun-Bear, and has been rendered famous by the spirited 

 description of its appearance and habits which has been given by Sir 

 Stamford Raflles. 



There is generally an aquatic member of each group of animals 

 throughout the vertebrate kingdom, and among the Bears this part is 

 filled by the Nennook, or Polar Bear, sometimes called, on account 

 of its beautiful silvery fur, the White Bear. As has already been 

 mentioned, the Bears are good swimmers, and are able to cross channels 

 of considerable width, but we have, in the person of the Nennook, an 

 animal that is especially formed for traversing the waters and for 



The Grizzly Bear ( Ursus ferox 



