BLACK BEAR 



Ursits americamts. 



Formerly having the widest range and being the best known of 

 the whole family, this typical American bear still preserves his spe- 

 cies in the largest numbers and frequents lonely mountain tracts 

 and heavily timbered forests north and south, from the Atlantic to 

 the Pacific coasts. This good fortune is due chiefly, however, to his 

 wholesome fear of man, for valuable to the colonists for fat and 

 flesh, most highly prized of all was the beautiful fur. Unlike the 

 covering of the other bears, this possesses an exceptional softness 

 and smoothness of texture, while the glossy jet black adds a rich- 

 ness equal to that of many of the distinctly fur-bearing animals. 

 This handsome coloring more than compensates for his inferiority 

 to the grizzly in size, as shown by the average length of but five 



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