BEAES 69 



The Grizzly Bears as a group (including several species and races) are 

 quite distinct from the Black Bears. The size of adults was generally much 

 larger, though the species which occurred in the Yosemite region was one 

 of the smaller of the grizzlies. No weights or detailed measurements of 

 locally captured grizzles are preserved. The "nose to tail" measurement 

 of "nearly 10 feet" given by its captor for the Wellman specimen referred 

 to below, applied to a skin as pegged out fresh. It is well known that 

 considerable stretching results from such procedure, and that when the 

 skin is relaxed and tanned it shrinks somew^hat. The length of the 

 Wellman grizzly skin is now 71/2 feet and its width at the middle is 5 feet. 

 Judging from the dimensions of bears before skinning, in known cases, 

 as compared with those of the tanned skins measured subsequently, the 

 Wellman bear in the flesh probably measured between 6I/2 and 7 feet in 

 length, tip of nose to tip of tail. The Washburn skin mentioned later 

 measures 6 feet 7 inches in length, somewhat smaller ; and the living animal 

 was therefore probably close to 6 feet long. 



The foreclaws of the Grizzly are much less sharply curved and some- 

 what longer than those of the Black Bear; this is an absolutely distinctive 

 character. The longest claws on the AVellman skin are 3 inches (measuring 

 the chord of the claw from tip to upper base), while the middle fore- 

 claw of a large California-taken Black Bear is only 2 inches in the same 

 dimension. The track of an old Grizzly, either front or hind foot, was 

 much larger than that of a Black Bear. Wellman 's figures, 10 by 13 inches, 

 and McLean's, 9 by 17 inches (even allowing for considerable sliding of 

 the foot, especially in the latter case) are 50 per cent larger in each dimen- 

 sion than the track of a good-sized Black Bear. These measurements of 

 course refer to the hind foot, which is decidedly longer than the forefoot. 

 The latter (if the 'wrist' does not touch) leaves an imprint that is more 

 nearly square in outline. In coloration the Grizzly was dark brown, and 

 some individuals had grayish or whitish ends to the longer guard-hairs 

 on the back, which gave rise to the name ' ' silver-tip. ' ' 



The Grizzly differed from the Black Bear in habits as well as in struc- 

 ture. It was, particularly in the case of the Henshaw Grizzly, a frequenter 

 of chaparral (and hence essentially an inhabitant of the foothill districts), 

 and it never (or rarely) climbed trees. Its food, as with the Black Bear, 

 was quite varied, including berries, fruits, and insects, as well as flesh; 

 but the Grizzly worked much more havoc among large game, and in later 

 years, stock, than does its smaller relative. 



During our work in the western part of the Yosemite section we 

 questioned numerous old residents concerning the former occurrence of 

 Grizzly Bears, but rarely obtained definite information. Mr. J. B. Varain, 

 of Pleasant Valley (= Varain), told us that there were no Grizzlies there 



