202 APPENDIX 



tearing up the soil with his long claws; mice found along 

 the banks of the rivers, salmon, which he catches in the 

 streams, and carcasses of animals complete his meat diet. 

 In season he also eats willow leaves, berries, and pea-vine 

 root, which tastes like parsnips but is too woody and fibrous 

 for a man to eat. The bear hibernates in October in this 

 region and comes out from winter quarters the last of May 

 or early in June, according to the melting of the snows. 

 The cubs are born sometime during the hibernation period, 

 though just when is not known, as there has been little 

 or no reliable observation on this phase of bear life. The 

 female has one to three cubs that remain with the mother 

 for about two years. 



Among the interesting " bear stories " of this region is the 

 reported presence of " blue bears," also known as the " gla- 

 cier bear," and said to be found along the glaciers at the 

 head of the Donjeck, the St. Clair, and the Generc, and 

 also along Russell Glacier. Dixon the guide, Albert the 

 Indian, and Fisher the cook are positive in their statements 

 of having seen these " blue bears " several times on the 

 glaciers, and describe them as being a " real grayish blue, so 

 that against the blue glacial ice you can hardly see them, 

 as they don't stand out at all." They are reported to be 

 as large as a medium-size grizzly and are always seen on 

 the glacier or close to its edge. The Duke of Abruzzi, in 

 making the traverse of the glacier on the expedition, when 

 he climbed Mt. St. Elias, killed several blue bears of this 

 description and it may be that this is the same bear, a va- 

 riety of the grizzly species, with a different color phase due 

 to the glacial environment. The writer regrets he was un- 

 able to give a week's time to baiting one of the glaciers in 



