Big Came ^Iniinals uf ihc ydluri^'sloiiL' 4Ji 



Grizzlies ai'e usualh' pictured b}- writers as ferocious, solitary 

 brutes, "carrying a chip about on their shoulders" wherever they go. 

 Such.statements are.due to. defective knowledge and false invention. 

 Any ;person . who has read James Capen Adams' account {ci. The 

 Adventures o/[ James Capen Adanis, Mountaineer and Grizzly Bear 

 Hiinter of Calijorjiia, hy T\\<to. H. Hittell, 1911J of the two grizzly 

 bears, a male and a female, which he trained to accompany him 

 in. the hunting field, to carry packs, to be as docile as dogs, is fur- 

 nished with a truer i)icture of the grizzly's character originally than 

 that to be obtained in our modern books of hunting lore which paint 

 this animal as extremel}- ferocious and dangerous in order to magnify 

 the hunter's l)raver_v in encountering him. He is no more dangerous 

 than man's persecution compels him to be. But this does not mean 

 that in his present state of mind this shy and wary giant is to be 

 trifled with, or that the Park visitor can attempt any advances with 

 impunity. The grizzl}- must be left severely alone, if he is to be 

 saved as a species, and if he is to remain most useful as a type of 

 primitive wilderness life. - 



In regions where the grizzly is hunted he may frequently travel 

 alone, but the grizzlies in the Yellowstone appear to live in families 

 (see pi. 26) for several 3ears at a time, and are seldom solitary. 

 That they live together as a rule and are sociable, may^ be considered 

 a natural characteristic. Some of the old males may lead a solitary, 

 cantankerous life, but such are the exception. "The Galloping Six," 

 who have passed into Park history and legend, illustrate the grizzly's 

 sociability. These six bears are said to have been adults of average 

 size who were always seen together. They perhaps represented two 

 families of young, three being the normal number ill a litter. The 

 Galloping Six were seen associated together in the Park for several 

 years and the various thefts of food they committed are well re- 

 membered by the rangers. 



My introduction to the Park grizzlies occurred on n^ first visit 

 to the Canyon on August 26. I visited the. Hotel garbage dump at 

 sunset and watched with the waiting ci"owd of hushed and expectant 

 tourists under the guardianship of Ranger Woodring. Just as it 

 was growing almost too dark to see, the forms of two grizzlies came 

 galloping out of the shadow?, of the pines and across the open 

 meadow to the feast; ' Several black bears which had possession at 

 the time discreetly ^?anished. The two grizzlies never faltered, but 

 came running up th€ hill and hurriedly sought out the food possibili- 

 ties. A few moments later another pair of grizzlies ajDpeared. com- 



