CLASS I. MAMMALIA: ORDER 5. CAKNIVORA. 163 



the bear is lassoed, keeps his eye on every movement, and appears to do, or rather I believe 

 actually does do, all in his power to protect and defend his rider as well as himself; as it often 

 happens, that from carelessness or inattention on the part of the rider, the hear will entangle the 

 horse's leo-s with the lasso, and in such cases, if it is a horse that has been used to lassoino- bears 

 he will with the greatest agility clear himself, without the least motion from the bit. I have 

 several times seen a horse, when the bear has been approaching him from before, instead 

 of turning round to run away or to run on one side, wait until the bear got close to him, 

 watching him all the time with a steady eye, and all of a sudden take a leap ri^ht over the bear, 

 and then turn suddenly around and face him again. This feat of course is only done by such 

 horses as are well acquainted with bear-hunting. 



"I never was in either a military or naval engagement myself, but I have heard hundreds say 

 that fear exists in the breasts of warriors no longer than till the first volley is fired. The same 

 may be said of the horse in bear-hunting. From the moment a horse sees the bear, it matters 

 not at what distance, he begins to tremble, and his heart beats so loud that his rider can 

 distinctly hear it. But this lasts no longer than the first momentary onset ; for as soon as the 

 horse feels by the strain of the lasso that the bear is lassoed, his fear leaves him, and he is from 

 that moment in the highest glee. If the bear is a very large one, two or three more persons 

 will throw their lassoes on him, because an old bear will be very apt to take the lasso in his 

 mouth and bite it off, or bring such a strain on it as would break it. 



" The bear being now well secured, with three or four lassoes on him, the horses, arching their 

 necks and snorting with pride at their prize, walk away with the savage animal, which is rearing, 

 plunging, and growling. 



" This method of hunting the bear is one of the noblest diversions with which I am acquainted. 

 It requires an extraordinary degree of courage for a man to ride up beside a savage monster like 

 the grizzly bear of this country, which is nearly as active as a monkey, and whose strength 

 is enormous. Should a lasso happen to break, which is often the case, the bear invariablv 

 attacks the horse ; and it requires very often the most skillful horsemanship to prevent the horse 

 or its rider from being injured. It requires also great skill to know when to tighten the lasso, 

 and to what degree, to prevent it from being suddenly snapped by too sudden a strain. The 

 rider must have his eye constantly on that of the bear, and watch his every motion. Sometimes, 

 either through fear, carelessness or inadvertence, a man may let go his lasso. In this case, 

 another, if the bear takes off, will go as hard as his horse can run, and, without stopping his 

 speed, will stoop from his saddle and pick the end of the lasso from the ground, and. 

 taking three turns around the loggerhead of his saddle, and checking his horse's rein, again 

 detain the bear. 



" In short, from the moment that a person arrives at the spot fixed upon to lay wait for the 

 bear's coming to the bait, until he is fast to a tree or killed, he feels himself elated. Every 

 motion of those noble animals, the horses, which seem as though they were doubly proud when 

 they feel the strain of the lasso from the saddle, and appear to take as much delight in the sport 

 as the riders themselves, is grand beyond any power of description." 



The Rocky Mountains, and the plains to the eastward of them, particularly the districts which 

 are interspersed with open prairies and grassy hills, are the chief haunts of the grizzly bears. To 

 the north, they have been observed as far as latitude 61°, and it is supposed that they are to be 

 found still further. 



The Black Bear, U. Americanus, is somewhat smaller than the U. Arctos ; the head is nar- 

 rower, the ears more distant, the muzzle more prominent, and the claws longer and more hidden 

 in the hair. The fur is black, and consists of smooth, soft, and glossy hair, instead of the shaggy 

 and woolly locks of the European species. The cheeks are of a fawn-color, and a stripe of this 

 sometimes descends to the chest. In some cases, these animals are of a yellowish, anil sometimes 

 of a cinnamon color, which has given them the name of Cinnamon Bear, -Yellow Carolina Bear, 

 <fcc. The tail is very short, the claws short and blunt, and the whole form thick and clumsy. 

 The black bear originally inhabited nearly every wooded district of the North American continent : 

 from Panama to-the Arctic regions, and from the Atlantic to the Pacific, it is still common in all 



