378 RESOURCES OP CALIFORNIA. 



scarcely inferior to that of very young children. The grizzly 

 may easily be tamed, and its becomes very fond of its master. 

 Adams, the California!! mountaineer and bear-hunter, trained 

 several grizzlies so that they accompanied him in his hunting 

 excursions, defended him against wild animals, and carried 

 burdens for him. The meat of the young grizzly resembles 

 pork in texture and taste, exceeding it in juiciness and greasi- 

 ness ; but the meat of the old he-bear is extremely strong, and 

 to delicate stomachs it is nauseating. 



The black bear ( Ursus americanus) is found in the timbered 

 portions of California, but is not abundant anywhere, and is 

 more frequently seen near the coast north of Bodega than in 

 any other portion of the State. Dr. Newberry, speaking of 

 the food of the black bear on this Coast, says : " The subsis- 

 tence of the black bears in the northern portion of California 

 is evidently, for the most part, vegetable. The manzanita, 

 wild plum, and wild cherry, which fruit grow profusely, and 

 are very low, assist in making up his bill of fare. Rarely, too, 

 we saw trees of yellow-pine bearing marks of bears' teeth, 

 where they had torn off the outer bark to get at the succulent 

 inner layer, which is capable of sustaining life, and to which 

 the Indians very generally have recourse when pressed with 

 hunger." It is believed that neither the grizzly nor the black 

 bear hybernates in California. 



302. Felines. The cougar panther of California,, sup- 

 posed by Dr. Newberry to be the Fells concolor the same 

 with the panther ipund on the Atlantic slope of the continent 

 has a body larger than that of the common sheep, and a tail 

 more than half the length of the body. Its color is dirty- 

 white on the belly, and elsewhere a brownish-yellow, mottled 

 with dark tips on all the hairs. The panther is a cowardly 

 animal, and, except when driven by some extraordinary 

 motive, never attacks man. A friend of mine, who was out 

 hunting, dressed in a buff coat, was creeping through some 

 brush to get near a deer, when he felt a heavy animal strike 



