402 THE GRIZZLY BEAR. 



has been affixed to the Grizzly Bear by Major Smith, and the creature has, in one or 

 two hunters' narratives, been erroneously described as the White Bear. 



In its earlier years, the young Grizzly Bear may boast of a really beautiful fur, which, 

 although very long, thick, and shaggy, is not of that coarse, wiry texture which is notable 

 as belonging to the coat of the adult animal. The fur of the juvenile Bear is of a brown 

 color, with a dark stripe along the spine, and is so enormously thick and long, that as 

 the animal shuffles along, it shakes up and down with every step. The gait of this 

 creature is rather peculiar, as it swings its body in a curious and exceedingly awkward 

 manner, and rolls its head from side to side in unison with the movement of its body. 



The fore-limbs of this animal are enormously powerful, and the feet of a full-grown 

 adult are eighteen inches in length, and armed with claws of five inches long. These 

 claws are extremely sharp, and when the animal delivers a blow with its paw, the sharp- 

 edged talons cut the adversary's frame as if they were so many chisels. A singular pecul- 

 iarity is found in these claws. The animal possesses the power of using them sepa- 

 rately, and has been repeatedly seen to grasp a dry clod of earth in its foot, and to 

 crumble it to pieces by the mere movement of the claws upon each, other. The head 

 is extremely large in proportion to the body, and the tail is so short that it is entirely 

 hidden beneath the heavy fur that covers the hinder quarters. The native Indians 

 are in the habit of amusing themselves with the perplexity of persons who are not aware 

 of this circumstance, and whom they persuade that the carcass of a dead Grizzly Bear 

 is easily lifted if seized by the tail, a proceeding which bears a strong analogy to the 

 method of capturing a bird by covering its tail with salt. 



All animals stand in great fear of this formidable beast, and display the greatest 

 terror even at the sight or the scent of a Bear-skin that has been stripped from the body. 

 Even the powerful bison falls a victim to the Grizzly Bear, which has been seen to 

 spring upon the foremost bull of a herd, dash it to the ground, and destroy it by a 

 succession of tremendous blows with its armed paws. Another of these animals 

 contrived to carry off a bison that had been shot by a hunter, and, after dragging it to 

 some distance from the spot where it fell, to bury it in a pit which it had dug for the 

 reception of its prey. It is said that the other predaceous animals hold the Grizzly 

 Bear in such respect that they will not venture to touch a deer which has been killed 

 by this powerful creature, and that the very imprint of the Bear's feet upon the soil is 

 a warning which not even a hungry wolf will disregard. 



As might be expected, this disinclination to meddle with the Grizzly Bear extends to 

 the dead animal itself, and to its skin and carcass. One of these creatures had been 

 shot, and its skin taken from the body, but as the hunter was not strong enough to 

 carry the weighty hide, he was forced to leave it unguarded for fifteen hours, exposed 

 to the attacks of the myriad nocturnal prowlers that swarm in those regions. Yet, 

 when he came at daybreak next morning to secure his prize, he found that neither the 

 skin nor the carcass had sustained the least damage from the teeth of the wolves, 

 although any other animal would have been totally devoured in a very short time. 

 Horses evince such terror at the sight and smell of the Grizzly Bear that they will not 

 permit the skin to be laid on their backs until they have been carefully trained to the 

 unwelcome task. 



They are not very easily tamed, except when captured at an extremely early age ; 

 but even in that case, they are rather rough in their manners, and are but dangerous 

 playfellows. They are extremely playful creatures when young, and are very amusing 

 in their habits. One of these animals, which was captured by Mr. Palliser, behaved 

 in a very amusing manner during the voyage homewards, and caused much mirth by 

 its absurd pranks. " Indeed," as the writer observed, " the Bear proved to be the 

 most entertaining member of the whole ship's company. He ate, drank, and played 

 with the sailors, and proved such a source of amusement to them, that the captain, 

 whom I have since had the pleasure of meeting, told me that he would gladly engage 

 always to take a Bear with him when he went to sea in future." 



On board of a passage-boat, a sudden shower of rain drove all the passengers, including 

 the Bear, below deck, and Mr. Palliser's attention was roused by peals of laughter over 

 the dining cabin. " On going above, to discover the cause of the merriment, I saw that 



