THE GRIZZLY BEAR. 149 



who was stationed at a lone fortress in Canada, amused 

 himself by taming a bear of this species. He taught him 

 to fetch and cany, to follow him like a dog, and to wait 

 patiently at meal times for his share. The bear accompanied 

 him when he returned to England, and became a great 

 avourite with the passengers and tlie ship's company. Bruin, 

 however, especially attached himself to a little girl about 

 foiu: years old, the daughter of one of the ladies on board, 

 who romped with him as she would with a dog. In one of 

 these games of play, he seized her with one fore-paw, and 

 with the other clambered and clung to the rigging, till he 

 lodged her and himself in the main-top, where, regardless 

 of her cries and the agony of her mother, he tried to 

 continue his romp. It would not do to piusue the pair, for 

 fear the bear should drop the child ; and his master, knowing 

 how fond he was of sugar, had some mattresses placed 

 round the mast in case the child should fall, and then 

 strewed a quantity of sugar on the deck; he called Bruin, 

 and pointed to it, who, after a moment's hesitation, came 

 down as he went up, bringing the child in safety. He was, 

 of course, deprived of his liberty during the rest of his voyage." 

 The black bear is hunted for the sake of his skin, many 

 thousands of skins being sent to Europe every year. 

 The Grizzly The Grizzly Bear is an eilormous animal, accord- 

 Bsar. ing to the measurement of Captains Lewis and 

 Clarke of one they killed, nine feet from nose to tail, though 

 they claim to have seen one of even larger size. It is said 

 to attain to a weight of 800 pounds. The fore-foot of 

 the animal already referred to exceeded nine inches in 

 length, the hind foot being eleven inches and three quar- 

 ters, exclusive of the talons, the breadth of the hind foot 

 being seven inches. The Grizzly does not climb trees, like 

 the brown and the black bear. He is ferocious when hungry, 

 and when attacked, and the female will die hard in the 

 defence of her yoimg. Such is his strength that he can 



Digitized by Microsoft® 



