THE GRIZZLY BEAK. 159 



sharp, that they cut into the flesh like knives. He can also 

 use them separately like fingers, so that he can grasp a dry 

 clod of earth and crumble it to dust as a human being could 

 do with his hand. He can also, with them, dig into the 

 ground ; and when the weight of his body is not too great, 

 they enable him to climb trees, although not with the speed 

 of his black brother of the plains. As acorns form a portion 

 of his food, it is said that he will climb a tree and shake the 

 boughs vehemently to make them fall, when he descends and 

 revels on the fruit his ingenuity has thus obtained. The 

 hunter who has to fly for his life may however escape from a 

 bear, when the monster is filled out with autumn food, and 

 cannot manage to raise his huge body from the ground, by 

 climbing a tree. 



The grizzly varies much *n colour. Sometimes his fur is 

 of a dullish brown, freckled over with grizzly hairs ; while 

 other specimens are entirely of a steely gray. In all cases, 

 the grizzly hairs give a somewhat white appearance to the 

 surface of the fur. When the animal is young, his fur is of a 

 rich brown, and often very long and thick, and much finer 

 than that of the adult animal. When the creature walks, he 

 swings his body in an odd fashion, rolling his head, at the 

 same time, from side to side, which gives him a remarkably 

 awkward look. Although the grizzly occasionally satisfies 

 himself with vegetable diet, he will also attack and devour 

 any animals he can kill. He does not hesitate to assault the 

 powerful bison ; and on overtaking a herd, he will spring with- 

 out hesitation on the largest bull, and, with the tremendous 

 strokes of his powerful paws, speedily bring it to the ground, 

 when he will without difficulty drag the enormous carcass off 

 to his lair, to devour it at his leisure. All other animals 



