322 THE GRIZZLY BEAR. 



In its earlier years, the young Grizzly Bear may boast of a really beautiful fur, which, 

 although very long, thick, and shaggy, is not of that coarse, wiry texture which is notable as 

 belonging to the coat of the adult animal. The fur of the juvenile Bear is of a brown color, 

 with a dark stripe along the spine, and is so enormously thick and long, that as the animal 

 shuffles along, it shakes up and down with every step. The gait of this creature is rather 

 peculiar, as it swings its body in a curious and exceedingly awkward manner, and rolls its 

 head from side to side in unison with the movement of its body. 



The fore-limbs of this animal are enormously powerful, and the feet of a full-grown adult 

 are eighteen inches in length, and armed with claws of five inches long. These claws are 

 extremely sharp, and when the animal delivers a blow with its paw, the sharp-edged talons cut 

 the adversary's frame as if they were so many chisels. A singular peculiarity is found in 

 these claws. The animal possesses the power of using them separately, and has been repeatedly 

 seen to grasp a dry clod of earth in its foot, and to crumble it to pieces by the mere movement 

 of the claws upon each other. The head is extremely large in proportion to the body, and the 

 tail is so short that it is entirely hidden beneath the heavy fur that covers the hinder quarters. 

 The native Indians are in the habit of amusing themselves with the perplexity of persons who 

 are not aware of this circumstance, and whom they persuade that the carcase of a dead Grizzly 

 Bear is easily lifted if seized by the tail, — a proceeding which bears a strong analogy to the 

 method of capturing a bird by covering its tail with salt. 



All animals stand in great fear of this formidable beast, and display the greatest terror 

 even at the sight or the scent of a Bear-skin that has been stripped from the body. Even the 

 powerful bison falls a victim to the Grizzly Bear, which has been seen to spring upon the fore- 

 most bull of a herd, dash it to the ground, and destroy it by a succession of tremendous blows 

 with its armed paws. Another of these animals contrived to carry off a bison that had been 

 shot by a hunter, and, after dragging it to some distance from the spot where it fell, to bury 

 it in a pit which it had dug for the reception of its prey. It is said that the other predaceous 

 animals hold the Grizzly Bear in such respect that they will not venture to touch a deer which 

 has been killed by this powerful creature, and that the very imprint of the Bear's feet upon 

 the soil is a warning which not even a hungry wolf will disregard. 



As might be expected, this disinclination to meddle with the Grizzly Bear extends to the 

 dead animal itself, and to its skin and carcass. One of these creatures had been shot, and its 

 skin taken from the body, but as the hunter was not strong enough to carry the weighty hide, 

 he was forced to leave it unguarded for fifteen hours, exposed to the attacks of the myriad 

 nocturnal prowlers that swarm in those regions. Yet, when he came at daybreak next morning 

 to secure his prize, he found that neither the skin nor the carcass had sustained the least 

 damage from the teeth of the wolves, although any other animal would have been totally 

 devoured in a very short time. Horses evince such terror at the sight and smell of the Grizzly 

 Bear that they will not permit the skin to be laid on their backs until they have been carefully 

 trained to the unwelcome task. 



They are not very easily tamed, except when captured at an extremely early age ; but even 

 in that case, they are rather rough in their manners, and are but dangerous playfellows. They 

 are extremely playful creatures when young, and are very amusing in their habits. One of 

 these animals, which was captured by Mr. Palliser, behaved in a very amusing manner during 

 the voyage homewards, and caused much mirth by its absurd pranks. " Indeed," as the writer 

 observed, " the Bear proved to be the most entertaining member of the whole ship's company. 

 He ate, drank, and played with the sailors, and proved such a source of amusement to them, 

 that the captain, whom I have since had the pleasure of meeting, told me that he would gladly 

 engage always to take a Bear with him when he went to sea in future." 



On board of a passage-boat, a sudden shower of rain drove all the passengers, including 

 the Bear, below deck, and Mr. Palliser' s attention was roused by peals of laughter over the 

 dining cabin. "On going above, to discover the cause of the merriment, I saw that the Bear 

 was gone and his chain broken. The pilot, who had been relieved a few minutes before, now 

 led me forward to inspect his caboose, which was surrounded by the passengers and deck 

 hands, all in fits of laughter. 



