220 THEOUGIi THE MACKENZIE ' BASIN 



showed that he had foiHid a large bear, caught by the head 

 and leg, and endeavoured to kill it with arrows, several of 

 which he shot into the neck of the animal. He seems to 

 have been afraid to approach near enough to give full effect 

 to his weapons, and the enraged bear, having broken the snare, 

 flew upon him and tore him in pieces. The man's son, a 

 youth of about sixteen years of age, becoming alarmed by 

 the lengthened absence of his father, took his gun and went 

 in quest of him, following his track. On approaching the 

 scene of the tragedy the bear hastened to attack him also, but 

 was shot by the lad as he was rushing at him. The boy found 

 his father torn limb from limb and mostly eajten, except the 

 head, which remained entire. The bear, whose carcase was 

 seen by Mr. Bell, was a brown one of great size. Fragments 

 of the snare remained about his neck and leg. These brown 

 bears are very powerful, and the same gentleman who told 

 me the foregoing informed me that on the Porcupine River, 

 to the west of the Peel, he saw the footmarks of a large one 

 which, having seized a moose deer in the river, had dragged 

 it about a quarter of a mile along the sandy banks, and after- 

 wards devoured it all but part of the hindquarters. The 

 bones were crushed and broken by the animal's teeth, and 

 fi'om their size and hardness Mr. Bell judged the moose to 

 have been upwards of a year old, when it would weigh as 

 much as an ox of the same age. The species of these northern 

 brown bears is as yet imdetermined. They greatly resemble 

 the Ursus arctos of the European continent, if they are not 

 actually the same, and are stronger and more carnivorous 

 than the black bears (Ursus americanus) , which also frequent 

 the Mackenzie River region. The grizzly bears ( Ursu^ hor- 

 ribilis) reach the same latitudes, but do not generally descend 

 ftom the Rocky Mountains." 



From all that has been narrated herein, I think it 

 will be readily admitted that the male, at least, of 

 Ursus richardsoni is a bold and courageous animal, and 

 when wounded is quite as brave and formidable an antag- 



