226 The Mammals of Colorado 
the winters are in the least severe, they spend the winter 
in a state of hibernation, for which they prepare by laying on 
a very thick layer of fat. Their winter quarters may be 
caves or holes among rocks or banks, a cavity under the 
upturned roots of a fallen tree, or places among a number of 
fallen trees, where roots and tops lie together. Where there 
is a heavy snowfall the snow soon covers up any openings 
which may be present and protects the animal against the 
weather. While the bear usually stays in its den until 
spring, yet sometimes in mild winters or on warm days it may 
come out and wander round for a while. The bear is 
generally in fairly good condition as regards fat when it 
emerges from winter quarters, and its fur, w^hile usually 
fairly good, is sometimes considerably worn by the animal 
turning about and rubbing against the sides of its den. 
The rutting season is in the fall, and all over North Amer- 
ica the young are born in January or February. The new- 
born bear is probably the smallest young known for such a 
large animal, with the possible exception of some of the 
very largest kangaroos. The measurements of the two- 
days-old cub of a European Brown Bear born in the New 
York Zoological Park are given by W. T. Hornaday in his 
American Natural History as: Length, head and body, 9I 
ins.; tail J in.; height, 5 ins.; circumference of chest, 6f ins.; 
hind foot, if by | ins.; weight, 15 ounces. Born January 
17 th. Two cubs are the usual number, but it varies from 
one to three, and in the case of the Black Bear four and 
five have been known. Grizzly Bears breed every two or 
three years, but Black Bears have been known to breed 
every year. 
Bears are omnivorous, eating anything in the shape of food 
they may find, vegetable or animal, fresh or otherwise. 
This being the case, a bear can find a living almost anywhere. 
It will eat any carrion it may find, any animals it is able to kill. 
