245

GRISLY BEAR.

Tus grisly bear is a most formidable animal, and is
always much dreaded in the countries’ where it is met
with for its great strength and ferocity. It is a native
of the north-western parts of North America, its strong-
hold being among the rocky mountains, and the district
to the eastward of them. It is more than a match even
for the bison, and can carry off this huge beast, weighing
more than a thousand pounds, to its haunt.

“Lewis and Clarke give the measurement of one of
these bears as nine feet from nose to tail, but had seen
them of larger dimensions. They attain the weight of
eight hundred pounds. The length of the fore foot is
nine inches, of the hind foot twelve, without including
the enormous claws; its breadth seven inches. The tail
is short, and lost in the shaggy hair. The grisly bear
digs with great facility, but when adult, is not capable
of ascending trees, (a fortunate circumstance for the
hunter,) for such is the animal’s tenacity of life, that
it seldom falls until it has received many balls. It
would seem, though the adult grisly bears cannot climb
trees, that the cubs are able, if the reports of the
Indians are to be credited. The cubs, and females with
young hybernate; but the older males often come
abruad during winter for food. An individual of this
species, distinguished by his enormous size and ferocity,
some time since attracted the attention of all who visited
the Gardens of the Zoological Society. He had previously
been almost twenty years in the Tower, where, at the
breaking up of the menagerie there, he was presented