CAPTURE OF ANIMALS. 49 



have been described by naturalists : Polar Bear, Grizzly 

 Bear, European Brown Bear, American Black Bear, Cinna- 

 mon Bear, Asiatic Bear, Siberian Bear, Spectacled Bear of 

 South America, Thibetan Bear, Bornean Bear, and Malay 

 Bear. *The three latter are called Sun-Bears, from their 

 habit of basking in the midday rays of the sun. They are 

 the smallest members of the family, and live exclusively on 

 vegetables. 



Bears differ from each other, in consequence of differences 

 of climate, more than almost any other animals. Those that 

 inhabit the frozen wastes near the North Pole, or such 

 high cold regions as the Rocky Mountains, are monsters of 

 strength and ferocity ; while those that inhabit warm coun- 

 tries are small, feeble, and inoffensive. The extremes of the 

 scale are the Bornean Bear, which weighs less than one hun- 

 dred pounds, and the great Polar Bear, which is thirteen feet 

 in length, and weighs twenty-four hundred pounds. The 

 American Black Bear is the species with which trappers have 

 most to do. It is found in the western and northern parts of 

 the United States and in the two provinces of Canada. Its 

 weight when full grown is from three to six hundred pounds. 

 The Cinnamon Bear of the Pacific coast is probably only a 

 variety of this species. 



Bears (except the Sun-Bears) are omnivorous, feeding in- 

 discriminately on roots, berries, nuts, corn, oats, flesh, fish, 

 and turtles. The fanner's calf-pasture, sheepfold, and hog- 

 pen are frequently subject to their depredations. They are 

 particularly fond of honey. They generally sleep through 

 the coldest part of the winter. They bring forth their young 

 in the months of May and June, and generally two at a time. 

 The cubs are hid in caves or hollow trees till they are large 

 enough to follow the dam, and then ramble about with her till 

 the following spring. 



The hunting of Bears with fire-arms, besides being objec- 

 tionable on account of injury to the fur, is often dangerous 

 business. They are very tenacious of life, and very bold and 

 ferocious when wounded. A Grizzly Bear, shot by Captain 

 Clark's party in the Rocky Mountain region, survived twenty 

 4 



