IV THE BIG GAME OF ALASKA 51 



always ready to assist a fellow-countryman ; and since he is 

 practically king of the district, he is the man to make friends 

 with before leaving Kayak. 



Since but little is yet known of this bear, and as it appears 

 likely to be of great interest to sportsmen who may visit the 

 country near Yakutat or Kayak in the future, I append the 

 following remarks made by Professor Dall after examining 

 some specimens of Ursus emmonsi : — 



" The general colour of the animal resembles that of a 

 silver fox. The fur is not very long, but remarkably soft, 

 and with a rich under-fur of a bluish black shade, numbers 

 of the longer hairs being white or having the distal half 

 white and the basal part slaty. The dorsal line from the tip 

 of the nose to the rump, the back of the very short ears, 

 and the outer faces of the limbs are jet black. Numerous 

 long white hairs issue from the ears ; black and silver are the 

 prevalent pelage of the sides, neck, and rump ; the under 

 surface of the belly and the sinuses behind the limbs are 

 greyish white, or even nearly pure white, I am told, in some 

 cases. The sides of the muzzle and the lower anterior part 

 of the cheeks are of a bright tan colour, a character I have 

 not seen in any other American bear ; and this character is 

 said to be invariable. There is no tint of brown elsewhere 

 in the pelage. There is no tail visible on the pelts. The 

 claws are small, very much curved, sharp, black above and 

 lighter below ; the animal evidently can climb trees, which 

 the brown bear cannot do."^ 



As regards the period of gestation in bears in Alaska, 

 nothing appears to be definitely known by the natives. 

 They declare that, although they have killed she-bears 

 during summer and winter, and even in the holes and caves 



1 Dall, Science, N.S. II. No. 30, p. 87, July 26, 1895. 



