124 
THE CABINET OF NATURAL HISTORY 
tleman of the Hudson’s Bay Company, with whom he was 
travelling, came up, and drove her off. In the latter end 
of June, 1826, he observed a male caressing a female, and 
soon afterwards, they both came towards him, but whether 
st'ccidentally, or for the purpose of attacking him, he was 
uncertain. 'He ascended a tree, and as the female drew near, 
fired at and mortally wounded her. She uttered a few loud 
screams, which threw the male into a violent rage, and he 
reared up against the trunk of the tree in which Mr. Drum- 
mond was seated, but never attempted to ascend it.”* This 
mode of escaping by ascending trees is frequently practised 
by hunters when pursued. Two instances are related by 
Lewis and Clark, and many others are to be found in the 
various authors who treat of this animal, where a hunter 
has been held a close prisoner for many hours, by the 
infuriated animal keeping watch at the foot of the tree. 
Notwithstanding the ferocity of the Grisly Bear, it would 
seem, that he is capable of a certain degree of domestication, 
especially when young. Governor Clinton says “that 
Dixon, an Indian trader, told a friend of his, that this ani- 
mal had been seen fourteen feet long; that notwithstanding its 
ferocity it had been occasionally domesticated, and that an 
Indian, belonging to a tribe on the head waters of the Mis- 
sissippi, had one in a reclaimed state, which he sportively 
directed to go into a canoe belonging to another tribe of In- 
dians, then returning from a visit ; the Bear obeyed, and 
was struck by an Indian ; being considered as one of the 
family, this was*deemed an insult, resented accordingly, 
and produced a war between these nations.! 
It is also stated in Long’s Expedition that a half-grown in- 
dividual was kept chained in the yard of the Missouri Fur 
Company, near Engineer Cantonment, and chiefly fed on 
vegetable substances ; as it was observed, that he became 
furious when top, plentifully supplied with an animal diet. 
He was in continual motion during the greater part of the 
day, pacing backwards and forwards to the extent of his 
chain. His att enda nts ventured to play with him, though 
in a reserved manner, fearful of trusting him too far, or of 
placing themselves absolutely within his grasp ; he several 
times broke loose from his chain, on which occasions he 
would manifest the utmost joy, running about the yard in 
every direction, rearing upon his hind feet, and capering 
about. “ I was present on one of these occasions,” ob- 
serves Mr. Say, “the squaws and children belonging to the 
establishment, ran precipitately to their huts and closed the 
doors; he appeared much delighted with his temporary 
freedom, and ran to the dogs which were straying about 
the yard, but they avoided him. In his round he came to 
me, and rearing up, placed his paws upon my breast ; wish- 
* Richardson, O. C. 
t Trans, of the Lit. and Philos. Soc, of New York. 
ing to rid myself of so rough a playfellow, I turned him 
around, upon which he ran down the bank of the river, 
plunged into the water, and swam about for some time.”* 
Most of our Philadelphia readers must remember the 
two young bears of this species which formerly were kept in 
the Menagerie of Peale’s Museum. These individuals were 
procured by Pike, when on his expedition, about 1600 
miles from the nearest American post, and kept with the in- 
tention of presenting them to Mr. Jefferson, then president 
of the United States. When Pike first obtained them, they • 
were carried for three or four days in the laps of his men on 
horseback, and afterwards in cage on a mule, but were al- 
ways let out, wherever the party halted. By this treat- 
ment, they became extremely docile when at liberty, fol- 
lowing the. men like dogs. When well supplied with food 
they would play like young puppies with each other and 
the soldiers ; but the instant they were shut up in their cage 
they became cross and surly, and would worry each other 
until they were so exhausted that they jyere incapable of 
further exertion. 
When Mr. Peale received them, they were about a year 
old, and tolerably docile, but soon gave indications of the 
natural ferocity of their species. “As they increased in 
size they became exceedingly dangerous, seizing and tear- 
ing to pieces every animal they could lay hold of, and ex- 
pressing extreme eagerness to get at those accidentally 
brought within sight of their cage, by grasping the iron bars 
with their paws and shaking them violently, to the gi'eat 
terror of spectators, who felt insecure while witnessing such 
displays of their strength. In one instance an~unfortunate 
monkey was walking over the top of their cage, when the % 
end of the chain which hung from his waist dropped through i 
within reach of the Bears ; they immediately seized it, 
dragged the screaming animal through the narrow aper- 
ture, tore him limb from limb, and devoured his mangled 
carcass almost instantaneously. At another time a small 
monkey thrust his arm through an opening in the cage to * 
reach some object ; one of them immediately seized him, 
and with a sudden jerk, tore the whole arm and shoulder- M 
blade from the body, and devoured it before any one could f 
interfere. They were still cubs, and very little more than 
half grown, when their ferocity became so alarming as to 
excite continual apprehension lest they should escape, and 
they were killed in order to prevent such an event.”! 
Their skins were ably prepared, and now form part of the 1 
interesting collection in the Philadelphia Museum. 
There is also a full grown specimen in the Tower of Lon- 
don, which was presented to George the III. about seven- 
teen years since, by the Hudson’s Bay Company. This 
* Long’s Expedition to the Rocky Mountains, vol. 2 p. 55. 
t Godman’s Nat. Hist. Vol. 1. p. 133. 
