The Red Cloud chief., 1888-02-17
GIGANTIC BEARS.
The Grizzly and the Silver Tin.
the Black, the Brown, Etc.
rlenfy OF Them in the Southwestern Ter
ritories-A Fierce Encounter Where
Man and Bear Both Went
Over the Precipice.

The big grizzly bears found all
through the canons Of the Rocky
Mountains and spurs Of the great range
seldom de>cends from lofty attitudes.
where they manage wear in and year
put 10 exc out 4 subsistence near the
perpetual STOW line. IA old and ex-
~perienced hunter has sid that ..anv
mans 4 fool 20 20 in arter bear alone"
The bruins OF the East and the bruins
OF the West are almost totally diiferen.
animals. The 'Ursa Majors of this
latitude are monStrous in SIZE. endowed
with u-lv dispositions and prodi"ious
strength. and ;S for grit. they dispute
and very of en- successfully. too-the
Soverei~ntr az the mountains and
forests with the king of American
beasts. rhe mountain lion. Hunters
disagree upon the point of how MANY
different species of the bear tribe we
have in the Northwcsf. There are ut
least three distinct types of the family
n Montana, namely. the grizzly.
brown and black bear. Beside these.
there are also gray bears. cinnamon
bears. and the Rocky Mountain gray
bacn. The true gray is seldom. if ever.
seen now as high As the forty-fifth
parallel. and as far east as tie main
divide: the cinnamon is simply r cross
between the brown and black bears.
and the mighty silver tip is neither
more or less than = mongrel Of the
brown and grizzly. partaking strongly
of the nature of the two. particularly
OF TIE latter. In fact. l think l am
justified in asserting that all the mem-
bers of the species insermarry. and
tina, the silver tip is the king Of the
family. This biz fellow. springing
from the grizzly and the brown. conn
Dimes all the f~erocity and tough strength
of the former with the agility and stub
bornness of The latter. each distinctive
trait being more prominent in him. and
possessed to a greater degree than by
the very animals from which he bor-
lows them. The silver tip is unques-
tionaily the ruler Of the family. by
r-a>on IF his great size and belligerent
disposition. Lewis and Clarke. in their
narrative of their Journey through this
region nearly one hundred years ago.
speak of meeting not only brown and
black bears. bIt also numerous white
bears. who made it periloUS travelling
NJ times for various members Of that
bold pioneer party. There are 10
white bears in Montana. Dakota. Idaho.
or the bordering possessions If the Can
alian Northwest. Probably the abb
nos referred TO We're cinnamon bears.
who. cnriy in the spring after coming
oft ii 4 winters sleep. take upon
themselves i dirty. yeilowi>h-brown
color. which. at = distance and in Il
snow-cov.red country. might readily
be mistaken for white bears whose coat
Of fur badly needed 4 bath. In one
place. :ftcr coming unon a so-called
white bear. the Journal describes him
as possessing sarali black eyes (aInlost
ike jet beads. a hide of bright yellow
ish brown. the front OF the fore-lcCS
near the feet being quite black. and
the animal Itself of L ferocious and
varlike nature. Thi, description cf
the white bear of 1913 taiiies with
the cinnamon bear of 1887. which
makes him aboat the same ugly cu--
toner that he was 4 hundred years
AFRO. There are few back bears in
this immediate vicinity, most Of them
irha5i.ing the western slope Of the
Rocky Mountains and the forests that
thence continue To t:.e Pacific Ocean.
Tie woods Of Gre-ol and Washing
ton are oyerruu with black bears.
The largest black fellow I ever SAW in
nv lie WAS in the woods IF Washing
ION Territory. near Mount Rainier.
Tie black beirs OF Montana, As weN.aS
the cinnamon. as a rule inhabit lOf
places. such IA creek and river bottomf
willow marshes. aud tin,bered spot
hut grizzlies :,ad s!lsr tips stick
li-ii attitudes. from which even hunre
pressure seldom drirs them. Grizz,ie1
are generally creslitd with h;-hly-cuIti]
waited appetiteS i, carnirorous fool.V
Campfire stories ~-Xciteiiy tell IF the
b;oanl;hirStv iie':lc>e monsters hat,i-
,uai!v thrive pen. hi; were all the
bio.,l- ur,llia yarns aired around tho
Cheerful. bl.e carefully siftcd down