Old Rphraim, the Grisly Bear. 269 



from those of certain varieties of the grisly. Moreover, 

 all bears vary greatly in size ; and I have seen the bodies 

 of very large black or brown bears with short fore-claws 

 which were fully as heavy as, or perhaps heavier than, 

 some small but full-grown grislies with long fore-claws. 

 These very large bears with short claws are very reluctant 

 to climb a tree ; and are almost as clumsy about it as is a 

 young grisly. Among the grislies the fur varies much 

 in color and texture even among bears of the same locality ; 

 it is of course richest in the deep forest, while the bears 

 of the dry plains and mountains are of a lighter, more 

 washed-out hue. 



A full grown grisly will usually weigh from five to seven 

 hundred pounds ; but exceptional individuals undoubtedly 

 reach more than twelve hundredweight. The California 

 bears are said to be much the largest. This I think is so, 

 but I cannot say it with certainty at any rate I have 

 examined several skins of full-grown Californian bears 

 which were no larger than those of many I have seen from 

 the northern Rockies. The Alaskan bears, particularly 

 those of the peninsula, are even bigger beasts ; the skin of 

 one which I saw in the possession of Mr. Webster, the 

 taxidermist, was a good deal larger than the average polar 

 bear skin ; and the animal when alive, if in good condition, 

 could hardly have weighed less than 1,400 pounds.* Bears 

 vary wonderfully in weight, even to the extent of becoming 

 half as heavy again, according as they are fat or lean ; in this 

 respect they are more like hogs than like any other animals. 



* Both this huge Alaskan bear and the entirely distinct bear of the barren grounds 

 differ widely from the true grisly, at least in their extreme forms. 



