t like the feet of all other animals that have to
walk on ordinary ground. But the soles of the polar bear are covered
with long hair, just as is his body. Why? Because he has to walk on
ice, which is very slippery, and he needs to have the soles of his
feet covered with hair, or else he would slip on the ice, just as you
must wear rubbers over your shoes when you have to walk on icy ground.

Now, my dear, just stop for a minute, and think. Among all the
wonderful things that I have told you so far, you have always noticed
that an animal always has _just the very thing he needs! We_ have to
_make_ rubbers, and warm coats, and gloves, and socks, and a dozen
things that we need. But to every animal God has given everything
that he needs, right on his body.

But now let us go on with the polar bear. He has a smaller head than
any other kind of bear. Why? To make it easier for him to put his head
through the hole in the ice, when he is catching fish. Other kinds of
bears do not have to put their heads into a hole to get anything to
eat; so they do not need to have a small head.

The polar bear has also a longer neck than any other kind of bear.
Why? To give him a longer reach in catching the fish with his
jaws--without tumbling into the water himself. Other bears, who live
on dry land, do not need to reach out like that, and so they have
shorter necks.

I shall now tell you about these other kinds of bears.

_American Bears_

First you shall hear about the bears that live in America. The biggest
kind is called the _grizzly bear_. In fact, he is the largest bear in
the world. Some grizzly bears are ten feet tall when they stand up on
their hind legs!

The color of a grizzly bear is yellow, but with many shades;
sometimes between brown and yellow, and sometimes between red and
yellow. Teddy bears, with which you have played, are sometimes made of
that color. Teddy bears of course are very nice, as they are toys; but
I am sorry to say that the real grizzly bear is not nice; he is very
fierce. In fact, he is the only kind of bear that is so fierce. Even
grown-up men do not want to go near him.

The grizzly is found in many parts of North America, near the Rocky
Mountains, from the United States right up to Alaska. He lives on
berries and all kinds of fruits, and also on the soft roots of trees.
But the grizzly bear eats meat also, if he can manage to catch deer or
cattle. That is why cowboys in Colorado and Wyoming