GKIZZLY BEAR. 163 



excited by wounds, and often dealing death with its 

 powerful claws. 



Many Indian chiefs and hunters used to be adorned 

 with necklaces of these claws as emblems of their 

 prowess. It was indeed a powerful foe to overcome in 

 the days of bows and arrows, and even in those of the 

 old flint-lock muskets ; but now the modern breech- 

 loader has considerably lessened the risk. 



The settlers or hunters often call this Bear " Old 

 Ephraim," sometimes " Caleb." 



The Grizzly Bear often attains the size of 8 feet. 

 The fur is rather harsh, of a dark grizzly colour, tipped 

 with grizzly hairs in some examples, in others of a 

 lighter hue ; the young especially are lighter, and some- 

 times almost white. Yellow-grizzly are abundant, and, 

 in fact, all shades of colour from pale to dark grizzly 

 are found. A white or albino Grizzly is extremely rare. 

 The tail is short ; the claws are long and powerful, about 

 3J inches in length, 1 inch of which is enclosed in the 

 flesh ; the ears are short ; the skin is thick and heavy. 

 The hump of fur between the shoulders is well developed 

 in this species, and in the best skins this adds consider- 

 ably to their beauty and value. 



The Grizzly Bear inhabits nearly the whole range of 

 the Eocky Mountains, where it finds a suitable resort. 

 The Bears inhabiting Mount Elias attain to a large size. 

 It is abundant in the Alaska Territory and the Aleutian 

 Islands, and a certain number are taken near York 

 Factory, but it is not now found in the Missouri district, 

 where it was abundant in the days of the old Fur 

 Companies. It is not an abundant animal. In 1891, 

 175 skins were sold by the Hudson's Bay Company. A 

 larger quantity are sold by other traders : 3,234 in 

 1891. The Grizzly Bear skin is of some value, about 



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