120 
ZOOLOGY. 
( [esiamb ,) and say that they have seen them. I do not think they exist in the Olympic range, as 
the skins I have seen on Puget Sound are all of the black bear. On the eastern slope of the 
Cascades north of the Columbia they are found, though but rarely. 
The grizzly bear of California has been known to attain the weight of 1,600 pounds, and, it is 
said, even of 2,000, a size almost incredible. The white grizzly seems to bear the same relation 
to the cinnamon that our black does to the brown bear of Europe. I consider them myself as 
different, but they, perhaps, hybridize, which gives rise to the intermediate shades of color. 
The hunters have some very curious notions concerning bears generally. They say that no one 
has ever found a female with young in her, no matter at what season they have killed them, 
even when hybernating. Another is, that when the bear goes into winter quarters he contrives 
to stop his fundament with clay, which remains there during the whole winter, nothing passing 
him while asleep. In the spring the clay comes out, being first softened by a black liquid which 
oozes from the animal! Both these stories are evidently common hunters’ opinions, having 
been told me by persons who have never had communication with each other. 
Note.— Mr. Gibbs, since writing the foregoing, has communicated, in a letter to Dr. Suckley, 
the following additional information concerning the geographical range of the large bear: 
4 4 The brown bear is found in the Olympic range, and grows as big as a cow ! So says Me. 
N-, who brought me a fine black bear skin the other day, and has promised me a brown one. 
He says that the hair of the last mentioned is coarser and shorter than that of the black 
species.” 
An absurd idea, similar to the story about the bear’s habit of closing his anus with a 44 ball 
of clay,” prevails among the Indians at the Dalles, with the variation, however, that the ball 
is composed of hard pine resin! 
Excepting what Mr. Gibbs states of the probable occurrence of the grizzly or the large 
brown bear in the Coast range, I have never received any intimation of its existence in the 
western part of Washington Territory; but in the Rocky mountain portion it is rather common. 
They are very abundant in northern Nebraska along the Missouri river ; and I was told, by the 
half-breed hunters and guides of our exploring party, that they are found as far east as the 
Devil’s lake, (or Miniwakan,) a large salt lake in the northwestern part of Minnesota. In 
California they are very abundant, and, in San Francisco, at the menagerie, I have seen nearly 
a dozen at a time. They were quite tame; even the largest performed various amusing tricks 
with the readiness and intelligence of a New Foundland dog.—S. 
URSUS AMERICANUS, Pallas. 
Black Bear. 
Baird, Gen. Rep. Mammals, 1857, 225. 
The common black bear is quite abundant throughout the wooded portions of Oregon and 
Washington Territories. In the latter they are especially abundant in the timbered districts 
near the coast. I obtained at Fort Steilacoom several fine skins of adults, and one very perfect 
skin of a cub, which was presented me by my kind friend Dr. J. B. Webber. Their habits 
seem indentical with those of their brethren east of the Rocky mountains. 
In the Chinook jargon this animal is called itshoot. 
