MAMMALS. 



29 



also distinguished this animal from the grizzly, that it was feared by themselves, as well as by the Indians, more than the latter, 

 on account of its ferocity. This, however, admits of a considerable degree of doubt; for, notwithstaudiug some very good proofs 

 of its boldness within our own knowledge, we also observed almost unexampled evidence of its cowardice. While, on one occa- 

 sion, a very old male rushed unexpectedly from the bushes and made a fierce and unprovoked attack upon a gentleman of the 



Boundary CommisKion, who, probably, only saved his life by a fortunate escape into a neighboring tree, we observed, Oii a 

 subsequent occasion, in the same vicinity, a female entirely forsake her cubs by a rapid retreat, and without being wounded ; an 

 this, too, notwithstanding the cries of the liltle ones while we pursued and captured them ; she ouly looking around once, at a 

 distance of half a mile, raising herself on her hind feet in a menacing manner, then again fled rapidly over the bills and disap, 

 peared. In the same region, a very large female grizzly defended her young with great desperation, and only fled after the cubs 

 were entirely beyond the reach of the hunters, when she made her escape, covered with wounds. 



•* The food of these animals, in this country, consists of acorns, walnuts, pinones, (the fruit of the rinua edidiSj) manzanillaB, the 

 fruit of an ericaceous fchrub, and such animals as they are able to capture." — (Dr. Keunerly.) 



*' Grizzly bear; oso of the Mexicans; shaz of the Jijiaches, — Near the highest crest of the Sierra Madrc, called * San Luis 

 mountains,* I had an opportunity to witness a rare butchery, by whicli, in less than one hour, a whole family of grizzlies was 

 killed, without one offering the slightest resistance. It was about noon on the 11th of October, 1855, when our long trains, 



coming from the Guadaloupe Pass, in the Sierra Madre, towards the San Luis springs, met on the plains these unexpected 

 mountaineers. When surprised, they were lying on the ground not far from each other digging roots. The position 

 in which they performed this work naturally caused long narrow strips of grassy lands to be turned up and searched as if it had 

 been done by a bad plough. I could not learn w^hat kind of roots they had been looking for. After taking off the thick skin of these 

 root-diggers, we found them all in a very poor condition, and this may account fur the want of that resistance which they failed 

 to offer. The ungrizzly-like behavior of these poor brutes induced the majority of our party to doubt their being grizzlies at 

 all. They evidently had descended from the surrounding mountains, where they have their stronghold in the rough trachy tic 

 recesses of this part of the Sierra Madre, the highest crest of which is densely crowned Ly a dark growth of pines. There their 

 fruit stores had probably given out in the late season, and they were obliged to resort to roots to satisfy' ihcir hunger." 



24. URSUS CINNAMONEUS, (p. 228,) ?— CinDamon Bear. 



? Ursus amerlcanuSf var. cinnamomunij Aud. &, Bach. N, A, Quad. Ill, 1853, 125 ; pi. cxxvii. 



Sp. Ca. — Size equal to or less than that of the black bear. Color various shades of brown, very rarely black. Skull broader 

 than in the common black bear. 



Several slculls of a small Lear collected by Mr. Clark at the Copper mines of the Gila appear 

 to indicate a species quite different from the common black bear. The animals to which they 

 belonged were all of a distinct brownish color, except one, in which the hair was ^^ gloH^y black 

 and pretty long." Althougb about the size of the common black bear, Ursus americanus^ or 

 a little smaller, yet four skulls of all ages before me, when compared with a corresponding 

 series of seven of Ursus americanus^ exhibit such characteristic differences as to authorize the 

 conclusion that the species are distinct. Unfortunately none of the skins collected were brought 

 home, owing to difficulty of transportation and other causes, and it is therefore impossible to 

 speak more definitely of the external characters of this bear beyond the color, which was said 

 to be of various shades of brown, with sometimes a reddish tint, sometimes darker, the tips 

 lighter. In these characters it agrees with the cinnamon bear of authors, supposed generally 

 to be a mere variety in color of the common American black bear. There is, however^ an 

 essential difference between the two ; the cinnamon bear of Oregon being uniform in the color 

 of its hairs from root to tip. Should further comparison show in the cinnamon bear of Oregon 

 the same cranial and other essential characters ac^ tlie U. americanu9, differing from the one in 



Ursus 



breadth of the head. 



