Virginia statesman. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1828-1829, 1828-09-03
TIE GRIZZLY BEAR.

the directors of the Jardin des Plantcs %
Paris, to procure a skin Of the bear Of Oh,
Rocky Mountains, commonly called OH,
Grizzly Bear, an animal ofwhich no specl
men has ever been seen M Europe. Mr.
Astor, instead Of procuring @ skin, caused
q cub of the species to be caught for th'
purpose, which has lately been brought &c
the city, and viii shortly be shipped toi
France.
This animal has never been described
by any European naturalist; the celebrated
Cuyier even doubts of It's existence. ID
has, however, been often mentioned and
figured by American authors, and travel.
lers IN the country, and an imperfect tech
meal description of it, under the name OF
arsus h0rribiHs, viii be found 10 the acc
count of Maj. Longs expedition TO the
Rocky Mountains, In 1919 and lc2O. il,
differs from every other species Of bear 10
the profile Of its face, which Is nearly rec
tilinear, In the great length Of the claws on
It's fore feet which it employs alth great
deXterity, and in the remarkable heNbhty
Of It's snout It's am ANIMAL of great fierce
ness, pgodigious strength, and wonderful
tenacity Of lie. Tn Major Long EXpedr
ton, it is said, that '.lrom the concurrent
testimony of those who have had am op
pOr.unity of observing its manners n l7,
without doubt, the most daring and truly
formidable animal thateXists in the United
States
"He frequently pursues and attacks
hunters. and no animal whose swittness
and art Is not superior to his own, can
evade him. lie kills the bison, and drags
the ponderous carcase to a distance, TO
deyour it at leisure. These bears were
frequently seen and killed by Lewis and
Clarke, IN their expedition to the mouth
Of he Oregon. They killed one which
weighed, as they Judged, about SIX hun
dred pounds, and measured eight feet and
seven inches and a halffom the ZIP ofthe
nose to the extremity of the hind feet and
which, after hating received five balls
through his lungs, and five other wounds,
swan toa considerable distance, and sur
viyed twenty minutes. The fore foot of
one Of them measured nine inches across.
his hind foot was eleven inches and three
quarters in length, and seven inches wide.
and the third had claws SIX inches and a
quarter long. Governor Clinton, IN the
notes 70 his Introductory Discourse, pub
lshed no the Transactions ofthe New York
Literary and Philosophical Society, says
that he has been told by Dixon, the Indian
hunter, that this animal has been seen
fourteen feet long, and, Notwithstanding
ITS ferocity. bad been domesucated An
insult offered t0 one of these tame bears.
bv striking him, is related 20 have produced
"a war between two tribes ON the head wat-
ers of the Mississippi Dr. James, the
compiler Of the account Of Longs Expedi-
ton. thinks there is reason TO believe that
the species formerly inhabited the Atlantic
States.
"The Indians of the Missouri saws
the account Of Major Longs Expedition,
sometimes 20 to war in small parties a
qarst the grizzly bear, and trophies ob-
famed from his body Is highly esteemed,
and dignity the fortunate individual who
wins them. We saw on the necks 0fmny
other warriors, necklaces composed the
lone ore-claws, separated from the foot.
tasteful, arranged in O radiaung manner;
and one of the band of Pawnee warriors,
that encountered q detachment of our party
near the Kama village, was Ornamented
vith the entire skin of the tore-foot, with
Che claws remaining upon 1t, suspended on
bus breast" The same work relates, that,
uD0n one occasion, when several hunters
were pursued by one Of these fierce aui-
mails. gaining rapidly upon them, O boy
belonging fo the party, who possessed less
speed than his companions, seeing the bear
close at his heels, fell with his face to the
ground The bear raised himself on ms
hind feet over the boy, looked down on HIM
for a moment, and then bounded over him
IN pursuit Of the fugitiyes.
The bear procured by Mr. Astor ior lhe
Jardin des P'aqtes. Is twelve months old,
and is between three and four feet IN length.
His color Is gray, nearly of that Of a wolf
Oh perhaps more closely resembling that Of
a wood-chuck This color, however, 70
should be observed, IS not constant In the
species; It Is sometimes q dark brown. O
tauny white. and generally becoming ash
colored with age. Heis fed onupe Iadian
com. apples, and raw flesh he VIII put
one of his paws through the bars of ms
cage and pick up am apple from the ground
8ub gr-lt deyteuV.
When he has got it into his possession,
be places it between his t0re-ieet and cuts
It 10 pieces with ms long claws before TAX
inc be 81 ms mouth. When visited bY