The Kadiak Bear and his Home 



we felt that all was over. To our great wonder 

 in a few seconds he crawled out from beneath the 

 hindquarters of his enemy, and engaged him again. 

 One more shot and the bear lay quiet. The skin 

 was a beauty dark brown, with a little silvering 

 of gray over the shoulders, without any rubbed 

 spots, such as are common on bears only just out 

 of their dens. Some brush was thrown over the 

 bear, and we rowed back to the sloop, well con- 

 tent. The next day, which was foggy and rainy, 

 was spent in getting off the skin, measuring and 

 weighing the animal piecemeal, and carrying all 

 back to the sloop. 



Contrary to expectation, the bear was found 

 to be still covered with a thin layer of fat, even 

 after his long hibernation. Before weighing, our 

 men, who had killed some thirty bear among them, 

 said that this one was two-thirds as large as any 

 they had seen. 



The measurements and weights were as follows : 

 Height at shoulder, about 4 ft. Length in 

 straight line from nose to root of tail, 6 ft. 8 in. 

 Total weight, 625 Ibs. Weight of middle piece, 

 260 Ibs. Weight of skull (skin removed), 20 Ibs. 

 Weight of skin, 80 Ibs. The right forearm 

 weighed 50 Ibs., and the left 55. This supports 

 the theory that a bear is left-handed. Right hind- 



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