ZOOLOGY. lil 
zlies so that they accompanied him in his hunting excursions, 
defended him against wild animals, and carried burdens for 
him. The meat of the young grizzly resembles pork in tex- 
ture and taste, exceeding it in juiciness and greasiness; but 
the meat of the old he-bear is extremely strong, and to delicate 
stomachs it is nauseating. . : 
The black bear ( Ursus americanus) is found in the timbered 
portions of California, but is not abundant. It is more often 
seen near the coast north of Bodega than in any other portion 
of the state. Dr. Newberry, speaking of the food of the black 
bear on this coast, says: “The subsistence of the black bears 
in the northern portion of California is evidently, for the most 
part, vegetable. The manzanita, wild plum, and wild cherry, 
which fruit profusely, and are very low, assist in making up 
his bill of fare. Rarely, too, we saw trees of yellow-pine bear- 
ing marks of bears’ teeth, where they had torn off the outer 
bark to get at the succulent inner layer, which is capable of 
sustaining life, and to which the Indians very generally have 
recourse when’ pressed with hunger.” It is believed that nei- 
ther the grizzly nor the black bear hybernates in California. 
§ 88. Panther and Wild-Cat.—The panther of California, 
supposed by Dr. Newberry to be the Felis concolor—the same 
with the-panther found on the Atlantic slope of the continent 
—has a body larger than that of the common sheep, and a tail 
more than half the length of the body. Its color is dirty-white 
on the belly, and elsewhere a brownish-yellow, mottled with 
dark tips on all the hairs. The panther is a cowardly animal, 
and, except when driven by some extraordinary motive, never 
attacks man. A friend of mine, who was out hunting, dressed 
in a buff coat, was creeping through some brush to get near a 
deer, when he felt a heavy animal strike his back. He sprang 
up very suddenly, and saw a panther, which had jumped down. 
upon him from a tree, probably mistaking him for a calf or a 
deer. The brute seemed very much astonished and frightened 
at seeing a man there, and immediately fled’at full speed. The 
panther is nocturnal in his habits, and always prefers the night 
