grizzly's peculiar habits. 21 



took a steady aim and discharged his rifle into the body of 

 the bear, which instantly dropped its prey to follow this 

 new antagonist. The latter, however, escaped, though 

 with some difficulty ; and the bear retreated into the dense 

 coppice, where it is supposed to have died. 



Sir John Richardson also speaks of a bear springing 

 out of a thicket, and with one blow of his paw completely 

 scalping a man ; laying bare the skull, and bringing the 

 skin down over the eyes. As help was at hand, the bear 

 made off without doing the poor fellow further injury ; 

 but the scalp not being replaced, he lost his sight, though 

 the eyes, it is said, were uninjured. 



The grizzly, it should be observed, does not hug ; he kills 

 his prey with a blow from his formidable paw. When he 

 first catches sight of an unusual object, he rears himself on 

 his hind legs, and gazes at it intently for some minutes. 

 Then he rushes straight at it, whether it be man or beast ; 

 and being absolutely indifferent to numbers, will seize it 

 "in the midst of a regiment of soldiers." The only thing 

 that appears to daunt him is the smell of man ; and if in 

 his hot charge he crosses the human scent, he will at once 

 turn and flee. 



It is stated, on the authority of an experienced hunter, 

 that this bear possesses the power of moving his claws 

 independently. For instance, he will take up a clod of 

 earth which has excited his curiosity, and crumble it into 

 dust by moving his claws one on the other. 



Wolves, however hungry, will not touch a carcass which 

 has been buried by a grizzly bear, though they will greedily 

 devour all other dead bodies. It is asserted that the 



