ENCAMPMENT IN THE WILDERNESS 99 



The bear was so heavy that I could not turn it over 

 or drag its leg from under it, and the skinning of it was 

 work for the whole party. The length from the snout of 

 the root of the tail was 6 feet 7 inches ; the weight to 

 the animal could not have been less than from 800 to 

 900 pounds. The skin was perfect. My companions 

 admitted that they had never seen a finer, and it was 

 glossy black throughout — a rare occurrence. 



I will not here add greatly to the remarks I have 

 made about American bears in a former work, and what 

 I now say refers to Canadian examples. The average 

 length of the black bear in this country (Canada and the 

 North-West) is only a few inches more than 5 feet, and 

 the weight from 600 to 650 pounds. In particular 

 localities they grow larger ; in others, without being much 

 smaller, they are considerably lighter. They also vary in 

 weight with the season, being lighter after the hiberna- 

 tion, and heaviest just before it. They vary much in 

 colour, being sometimes black, and sometimes light 

 brown, with many intermediate shades. Locality has 

 sometimes something to do with colour. Some hunters 

 and naturalists say that the brown is a distinct species. 

 I do not share that opinion. It is certain that the pelts 

 are classified as black and brown by the Hudson Company's 

 people. I have heard that the black bear is no longer 

 found in any part of Canada or the North-West. I do 

 not know, as it is more than twenty years since I was in 

 the country. At the time of which I am writing they 

 were not abundant anywhere, and in large areas could 

 not be found at all. In a word, they were already be- 

 ginning to show signs of a speedy extermination. 



The black bear is omnivorous, and will eat anything 

 from a beetle to a deer, from a blackberry to a cabbage. 

 They certainly kill cariboo, breaking the neck with a 

 blow of the paw. Whether they ever attack the larger 

 deer I do not know, but I can perceive no reason why 

 they should not. They are enormously strong, and can 



