92 FLESH-EATERS 



A very large flat skin measured at Kadiak by Mr. J. A. 

 Loring was 9J^ feet long by 10J^ feet wide across the fore 

 legs. 



Immediately after shedding, the new coat of the Kadiak 

 Bear is dark brown, like that of a grizzly, but it soon changes 

 to a beautiful golden-brown tint. In March and April, the 

 old coat is of a golden-yellow color, and really very beautiful. 

 The full coat is long, thick, and shaggy, and except when 

 shedding is in progress, the animal makes a very impos- 

 ing appearance. This species is recognized by its uniform 

 brown or golden color, its high shoulders, broad and massive 

 head, flat forehead, short, square nose, and a drop in the 

 upper line of the head in front of the eyes. Mr. Kidder 

 states that the bears on Kadiak Island are uniformly colored 

 over the body and legs, but those on the mainland are darker 

 on the legs than on the body. 



The Kadiak Bear catches and devours great numbers of 

 salmon, which are so abundant in many Alaskan streams 

 that it can throw them out with its paws. It also eats quan- 

 tities of the rank marsh grass which grows along many salm- 

 on streams where they flow through alluvial plains before 

 discharging into the sea. It inhabits the most rugged moun- 

 tains, and is seldom killed save when it leaves the shelter 

 of the timber and comes into the open river valleys and bay- 

 heads to feast on freshly caught salmon, with tender grass 

 for dessert. 



Just how far eastward this bear ranges on the mainland 

 remains to be determined, but I believe it will be found as 

 far as the Copper River. The big animal found in the Yukon 



