european brown bear. 51 



The European Brown Bear. 



Ursus Arctos, Linn. 



It appears singular that a family of animals like the 

 bears, which not only endure confinement, but thrive 

 and sometimes grow enormously fat under the restraint 

 of man, should nevertheless continue to preserve their 

 savage disposition and manners, in nearly the same de- 

 gree as when in a state of nature, even after years spent 

 in unavaihng efforts to domesticate them. It may be 

 said, indeed, that this is in part accomplished, by their 

 having been taught to dance; and so far the objection is 

 not valid ; but it must be remembered, that even those 

 which have been thus far tutored, or rather tortured, to 

 perform such antics, are yet firmly muzzled. Nor have 

 we ever heard of a bear, however docile under the rod 

 of his keeper, so far trusted as to be allowed the free 

 use of his mouth. 



The different species of this group are among the 

 most attractive subjects in the menageries. We shall 

 therefore enumerate all those wdiose manners have been 

 witnessed in a state of nature, or whose peculiarities in 

 confinement are in any degree interesting. There ap- 

 pears to be about nine distinct species ; six being dis- 

 tributed in the colder regions of Europe and America, 

 w^hile the remaining three have only been detected in the 

 mountainous parts of India. 



The European brown bear appears to have been 

 formerly spread over the whole of Europe ; but it is now 

 confined almost entirely to the vast forests of Germany, 

 Hungary, and Russia : from the latter empire, also, it 

 spreads over the uncultivated wilds of Siberia ; but 

 whether the brown bear of Arctic America is identically 

 the same species as they, may be reasonably doubted. 

 The habits of this species in a state of nature are de- 

 scribed as solitary, wandering about during the greatest 

 part of the year, and retiring to pass the winter in such 

 sheltered retreats as are afforded by the hollows of trees 

 or the cavities of rocks. This season, in fact, is passed 

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