806 AUDUBON THE NATURALIST. 



whicli Mr. Drummond was seated, biit never 

 attempted to ascend it. The female, in the 

 meantime, retired to a short distance, laj down, 

 and as the male was proceeding to join her, Mr. 

 Drummond shot him also. 



The following is from notes of J. W. Audu- 

 bon, made in California in 1849 and 1850 : 

 " High up on the waters of the San Joaquin, 

 in California, many of these animals have been 

 killed by the miners, now overrunning all the 

 country west of the Sierra Nevada. Greatly as 

 the grizzly bear is dreaded, it is hunted with all 

 the more enthusiasm by these fearless pioneers 

 in the romantic hills, valleys, and wild moun- 

 tains of the land of gold, as its flesh is higlilj^ 

 prized by men who have been living for months 

 on salt pork, or dry and tasteless deer-meat. I 

 have seen two dollars a pound paid for the leaf- 

 fat around the kidneys. If there is time, and 

 the animal is not in a starving condition, the 

 grizzly bear always runs at the sight of man ; 

 but should the hunter come too suddenly on 

 him, the fierce beast always commences the en- 

 gagement. And the first shot of the hunter is 

 a matter of much importance, as, if unsuccessful, 

 his next move must be to look for a sapling to 

 climb for safety. It is rare to find a man who 

 would willingly come into immediate contact 

 with one of these powerful and vindictive brutes. 



