often displays
a most unpleasant readiness to attack and pursue a man, even in
the face of fire arms. In many localities, however, where hunting
has been pursued to considerable extent, these animals have learned
from experience a wholesome fear of man, and are not so ready to
assume the offensive, but a "_wounded_" grizzly is one of the
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most horrible antagonists of which it is possible to conceive,
rushing upon its victim with terrible fury, and dealing most tearing
and heavy blows with its huge claws.
In length this formidable animal often exceeds eight feet, and its
color varies from yellowish to brownish black, and some specimens
are found of a dirty grey color.
The legs are usually darker than the rest of the body, and the
face is generally of a lighter tint. The fore limbs of the animal
are immensely powerful; and the foot of a full-grown individual
is fully eighteen inches long, and armed with claws five inches
in length. The grizzly inhabits the Rocky Mountain regions and
northward, being found in considerable numbers in the western part
of British America. Its hair is thick and coarse, except in the
young animal, which possesses a beautiful fur.
All other creatures seem to stand in fear of this formidable beast.
Even the huge bison, or buffalo, of the Western Prairies sometimes
falls a victim to the grizzly bear, and the very imprint of a bear's
foot upon the soil is a warning which not even a hungry wolf will
disregard.
Its food consists of whatever animal it can seize, whether human
or otherwise. He also devours green corn, nuts, and fruits of all
kinds. In his earlier years he is a good climber, and will ascend
a tree with an agility which is surprisingly inconsistent with
the unwieldy proportions of his body.
The average weight of a full-grown grizzly is over eight hundred
pounds, and the girth around the body is about eight feet.
The Black bear, or Musquaw, which we illustrate is common throughout
nearly all the half settled-districts of North America. But as the
fur and fat are articles of great commercial value, the hunters
and trappers have exercised their craft with such skill and
determination that the animals are gradually decreasing in numbers.
The total length of the black bear is seldom more than six feet,
and its fur is smooth and glossy in appearance. The color of the
animal is rightly conveyed by its name, the cheeks only partaking
of a reddish fawn color.
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