gs its
carcass to some cave or crevice among the rocks, or to a hole which he
has dug to receive it. To this place he repairs from time to time, till
the exhausted store compels him to go in search of a new victim. Many
an incident can be related--and on the best authority too--where man has
been the victim of the grizzly bear; and the Indians esteem the killing
of one of these animals a feat equal to that of taking the scalp of a
human enemy. One of the proudest ornaments of a savage chief is a
necklace of bears' claws: only to be worn by those who have themselves
killed the animals from which they have been taken.

The _Black_, or _American bear_, is one of the best known of the family;
and on account of his clean smooth head, tapering muzzle, and rich black
fur, he is also one of the best looking of bears. He is found
throughout the whole of the United States territory--from the Canadas to
the Gulf of Mexico--and westward to the shores of the Pacific. He is
sometimes met with in the same neighbourhood with the grizzly, but not
often: since their haunts are essentially unlike--the black bear being a
denizen of the heavy-timbered forest, while the other frequents the
grassy hills or coppice-openings of the prairies and mountain valleys.

The black bear is a tree-climber; and ascends the loftiest trees in
search of the honey of the wild bees, or to make his lair in some
cavernous hollow of the trunks. His food is usually fruits and roots,
but he is also fond of young corn, and often commits serious
depredations on the maize plantation. In the backwood settlements,
where clearings are apart from each other, the black bear is still
occasionally met with; and the chase of this animal is one of the most
favourite pastimes of the backwoods' hunter, whether amateur or
professional. Generally there is little peril in the pursuit--unless
when the bear is wounded and enraged, and the hunter chooses to risk
himself at close quarters.

There are varieties in colour. Some with white throats, and some of a
cinnamon brown, have been observed; but the colour of the species is
usually jet black; and on this account the skins are much prized for
military and other purposes.

The _Spectacled bear_ is a native of South America, and frequents the
forests upon the declivities of the Andes. This was long supposed to be
a variety of the black bear, but later observations prove it to be a
different species. Its habits are very s