220 The Grizzly Bear 



strong curved claws, from four to six inches long. In 

 those parts of the country where he does not have to hus- 

 tle so hard for roots and ground squirrels — for instance, 

 in some parts of Wyoming, central Idaho, and Montana — ■ 

 the grizzly does not wear his claws down so close. Yet he 

 seems, on the whole, to attain a larger growth where he 

 has to work most — just as a hen lays most eggs when she 

 is compelled to scratch hardest. 



I have already spoken of the old trapper whom we 

 found on the headwaters of Wilson's Creek. He claimed 

 to be something of an expert, and figured that he was 

 going to reap a rich harvest in grizzly-bear pelts; but in 

 two seasons' trapping he caught only one grown grizzly 

 and one cub, the latter being the one we wounded and 

 chased into one of the traps which he had set in the trail. 

 This man had killed goats and porcupines for bait, had 

 brought in fish, cheese, honey, and molasses; in fact, he 

 had tried everything to be found in the country, and 

 many things that he had packed in from outside; but the 

 bears simply ignored them all, and seemed perfectly con- 

 tented to eat grass, dig roots, and nip off the tender buds 

 of the soft maple. 



In all our experience in this region we found but a 

 single bear that had any appetite for meat, this being the 

 old fellow that ate part of the horse we led in and killed 

 for bait. On the other hand, it will be remembered that 

 we detached a shoulder from the carcass of this horse, 

 dragged it across the hills for two miles or more, and 

 placed it on a snow slide In full view of camp, where we 

 could watch it with the field-glasses; and that, although 

 this bait remained there until putrefaction set in and the 



