THE GRIZZLY BEAR 269 



sight is so keen that they are rarely surprised in the 

 thick forest. 



The grizzly bear, Ursus horribills, is in the Cree 

 vernacular mist-a-ya. It is a much more formidable 

 animal than the black bear. It measures 8 feet to 

 9 feet, and weighs from 700 lb. to 900 lb. It is 

 found in many parts of the Dominion, but in greatest 

 abundance in British Columbia. With the exception 

 of Vancouver Island, it is widely distributed over 

 the interior. For size and strength and general 

 interest it is princeps facile amongst Canadian big 

 game. It hibernates like the black species, and 

 emerges from its winter sleep very hungry. Its 

 marks are discovered on the trees where it has been 

 scratching like a cat, as if sharpening its claws for use 

 after the long period of somnolent inactivity. 



For strength the grizzly is said to be unmatched 

 by any beast of prairie or forest. A single blow with 

 its fore-paw will break the neck of a steer or buffalo 

 like a sledgehammer. A rip with its claws on a pine 

 or maple tree will gouge out a wedge, like the stroke 

 of an axe. 



With the invasion of civilization the animal has 

 been driven to the mountain fastnesses and the 

 less frequented parts of the Rockies. From East 

 Kootenay to Caribou district he may be tracked, his 

 broader and squarer heel-marks distinguishing him 

 from the smaller species. He lurks in some remote 

 creek, or sheltered ledge of ravine, where he seeks to 



