26 



AMERICAN FORESTRY 



humanity is often only another name for the most un- 

 mitigated cruelty. As long as these men had slain this 

 bear's cubs the least they could have done was to have 

 shot her immediately afterwards, and saved her all the 

 unnecessary pain and mental distress she subsequently 

 suffered. 



of these animals ; and, as a rule, only their skulls have 

 been used upon which to base specific and subspecific 

 forms sometimes only the teeth. Geographical distri- 

 bution, of course, is something, but it is by no means 

 sufficient for such purposes. Doubtless all the Grizzlies 

 are very much alike in their habits, so that a description 



This brief account is by no means all that could be of the general habits of one kind would answer very 

 written about this fine species of bear how it attacks well for any of the others. 



the young whales, for example, also the young and old 

 walruses and other animals ; further, how much they 

 enjoy flattening themselves out on the ice, with fore 

 and hind limbs stretched to their utmost. 



There is not very much literature on the Kadiak bear, 

 comparatively speaking. Stone and Cram, in their 

 "American Ani- 

 mals," give us 

 three fine repro- 

 ductions of pho- 

 tographs of it, 

 taken by Mr. A. 

 R. Dugmore, but 

 refer to it only in 

 three lines of 

 type. Doubtless it 

 has many of the 

 habits of its kind ; 

 and inasmuch as 

 it has not been 

 rendered fearful 

 of man, it is like- 

 ly that it is a 

 more or less dan- 

 gerous antagonist 

 to encounter in its 

 native wilds. 



The life histo- 

 ries of the Grizzly 

 bears teem with 

 interest. All true 

 hunters of big 

 game delight in 

 reading a good 

 bear story if 

 such a story de- 

 scribes an excit- 

 ing grizzly hunt, so much the better. Although descrip- 

 tions of such hunts have been published by the hundreds, 

 the most hazy notions exist in many quarters in regard 

 to these animals their size and weight, some of their 

 habits, their definite distribution, the distinction between 

 them and other large American bears, and even the 

 alleged specific and subspecific differences of the various 

 grizzlies themselves. For example, Stone and Cram state 

 in their' "American Animals" that the Grizzly is the larg- 

 est bear in the world, while on another page of the 

 same work they say that a Kadiak bear is larger than 

 a Grizzly ! To my knowledge there have not been any 

 reliable or extensive comparisons made of the skins, 

 measurements, and weights of recently slain specimens 



CLOSE-UP OF A GRIZZLY 



Figure 7. In the National Parks where the Grizzly is thoroughly protected, it is a well-known 

 fact that a person can readily approach one of them, when it has been born and reared under 

 such conditions; the animal will never take it into its head to attack one, unless teased or 

 injured. They are seen in great numbers by visitors to the National Parks. 



As a rule, this enormous bear will not attack a man, 

 for his experience during the last half-century has taught 

 him better ; with the rapid improvement in rifles, the 

 Grizzly has become more and more convinced that the 

 wisest plan is to keep out of the hunter's way. Still, if 

 brought to bay, or painfully wounded, a Grizzly will 



assume the offen- 

 sive, when it will 

 be the hunter's 

 turn to look out 

 for his life. The 

 bear can stand an 

 enormous amount 

 of pun ishment ; 

 and if he can 

 grapple with his 

 enemy, he can 

 crush a man's 

 skull as easily as 

 one breaks an 

 egg. Grizzlies, 

 when full-grown, 

 have never found 

 any trouble in 

 killing such ani- 

 mals as bison, 

 moose, horses, and 

 oxen, c a r r y ing 

 them away to be 

 , devoured at their 

 leisure. Apart 

 from man. his 

 great destroyer, 

 he lives supreme 

 in his habitat. It 

 has been said that 



a cougar could 

 attack and kill an old grizzly, but the story is hard to 

 believe. I have known men in my time who would 

 vouch for having seen a big Grizzly knock down a bull 

 bison weighing half a ton, and drag the quarry away with 

 apparently no more effort than that displayed on the 

 part of any of the smaller animals in dragging off ani- 

 mals they have killed, as large or larger than them- 

 selves. Many a bull elk has fallen a prey to this 

 powerful and ferocious bear; while ranchmen, in years 

 gone by, in many parts of the West, know full well how 

 handily an old Grizzly can make off with some of their 

 stock. When nobler and heavier game is scarce or un- 

 procurable, however, he will nose around through the 

 forest, digging out with his immense clawed fore-feet 



