nters. Indeed, it is not common to
find any two bears of the same color; and if the difference in color
were to constitute a distinction of species, the number would increase
to almost twenty. Soon afterward the hunters killed a female bear with
two cubs. The mother was black, with a considerable intermixture of
white hairs and a white spot on the breast. One of the cubs was jet
black, and the other of a light reddish-brown or bay color. The hair
of these variegated bears is much finer, longer, and more abundant than
that of the common black bear; but the most striking differences between
them are that the former are larger and have longer tusks, and longer as
well as blunter talons; that they prey more on other animals; that they
lie neither so long nor so closely in winter quarters; and that they
never climb a tree, however closely pressed by the hunters. These
variegated bears, though specifically the same with those we met on the
Missouri, are by no means so ferocious; probably because the scarcity
of game and the habit of living on roots may have weaned them from the
practices of attacking and devouring animals. Still, however, they are
not so passive as the common black bear, which is also to be found here;
for they have already fought with our hunters, though with less fury
than those on the other side of the mountains.

"A large part of the meat we gave to the Indians, to whom it was a real
luxury, as they scarcely taste flesh once in a month. They immediately
prepared a large fire of dried wood, on which was thrown a number of
smooth stones from the river. As soon as the fire went down and the
stones were heated, they were laid next to each other in a level
position, and covered with a quantity of pine branches, on which were
placed flitches of the meat, and then boughs and flesh alternately for
several courses, leaving a thick layer of pine on the top. On this heap
they then poured a small quantity of water, and covered the whole with
earth to the depth of four inches. After remaining in this state for
about three hours, the meat was taken off, and was really more tender
than that which we had boiled or roasted, though the strong flavor of
the pine rendered it disagreeable to our palates. This repast gave them
much satisfaction; for, though they sometimes kill the black bear, they
attack very reluctantly the fierce variegated bear; and never except
when they can pursue him on horseback over the plains, and shoo