The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-08-18
BEARS OF THE ROCKIES.
CHATS AROUND THE CAMPFIRE
ABOUT GRIZZLY AND HIS CUBS,

Typical Hunting Stories OF the Far
West - Big Game Which Draws
the Hunter to the Mountains
Exciting Tales OF Encounters With
Bruin-Eis characteristics Pointed
Out and Commented Upon - His
Methods of Attack and How Hunters
Meet Then-Msny Things Relating
to Him Presented in an Entertain
ing Way.
CONTINENTAL DIVIDE, PACIFIC SLOPE,
Aug 9-The subject of our story cuts suf-
ficient figure in the annals of Rocky noun
tain hunting TO merit a personal descrip-
ton. II we omit the polar bear, there are
two, and only two, species of bear that in
habit the mountains of our western states;
these are the black bear (lirsuS Anlertcdnus)
and the grizzly (,trSus horribiliS). And
yet erywhere you hear the terms "griz-
zly," "brown," cinnamon" "silver tip,n
range bear," until you begin to imagine
that the country is inhabited by vast va
riety of horrible monsters, until a glance
at a book upon natural history treasures
you that there are but the two named
above, Ursus Major and Minor, so there are
two in the Rocky mountains beneath, UrsuS
Anlericdnus and horri6iLis. These two are
sufficient. In fact, the last one is more
than enough. Almost every one has seen
the black bear, and remembers his heavy,
awkward figure and his slouching gait.
But the grizzly is king of another mold.
Newspapers have killed them all the way
from fifteen to twenty hundred pounds, but
l,OOO pounds is, suppose, fair average
weight, and some only tip the scales at 800.
But to see thousand pounds rolling toward
you, with growl like thunder broken
loose, is calculated to increase
mans estimate of its size.
Under such circumstances, 1 should
say that they weigh about 20,000l II you
stretch line from the tip of their nose to
the root of their tail it will measure seven
feet; their tail is so small that it would not
add much to the measurement. When they
rear up on their launches to give you their
customary greeting, or for the final en-
brace, they tower up over six feet. A
black streak runs along the back, and one
dow n each side, the hair between the dark
strips being brown, and growing pale to
ward the muzzle. But their walking and
tearing apparatus is most peculiar. Their
hind legs are much longer than the fore,
but even if their locomotion is not
conducted upon the most graceful
principles of the Delsarte system :,
it is a vast Improvement upon mans; for
unless badly wounded, he can beat a man
running up hill, while down a hill man has
no show at all; he comes rolling tumbling,
shambling, but ne gets there very speedily.
nj Oh DO 70 ho
running match. is to neither dash
up nor down, but right across the
| slope, where the grizzly finds it
harder evenly to balance himself than the
human. The fore-claws have seven good
inches OF nails, and the hind ones only four.
This we know, not by actual experience,
but by measurement. The grizzly has one
good quality-he can't climb tree. Trees
ought to abound in bear hunting countries.
Now, to approach this grizzly subject Il
little closer, If 1t should be asked whether a
man ought to approach any closer to this,
the gamest and most dangerous Of the
Rocky Mountain animals, the answer is, if
he does any hunting at all, he cannot very
well avoid an encounter, Bears are most
numerous every ywhere in the mountains, in
spite of reward OF $50 given by the state
for every dead and departed Bruin. Moo
casin Bill, " on a neighboring ranch, has
killed ninty-ive right here off the Sangre de
Christie range. He is superstitious about
his hundredth, being afraid that it will turn
tue tables on him, but if he survives that
dreaded encounter, and keeps at it, he will
doubtless find many more ninety-fves wait
ing for him over yonder in those gloomy
and mysterious canyons of the Sangre de
Christie. Bruin is ubiquitous. He can be
found as far south as Mexico, and as far
north as British America, while as to the
rocky tableland between the Rockies and
Sierras, that is his loafng ground. He goes
every here, and is not particular as to his
appetite. He is fond of berries; if he cannot
get them he will dig up roots; If roots are
scarce he will bark trees; il everything in
the vegetable way fails he takes to the
animal kingdom, deer, cattle, sheep, horses
fall TO his capacious nav, while his chief
morsel, the tid-bit that most tickles his
palate, is elk. He is particular in one respect
he will not eat man He has TO be very
hungry before be will do that
WHEN GRIZZLY WILL ATTACK A MAN.
Authorities differ upon the question
whether the grizzly will, If unmo molested,
attack man. You may count upon his do
ing it mo difference Of authority here, in
three cases-if he be cornered; if he be shot
at and wounded; If 1t be bear with her
cubs that you are unlucky enough to come
upon. solomon was wise man and also al
observer of natural history. 1t was he who
said something about the worst thing that
could befall man, next to the onslaught
of fools, was bear bereaved of her cubs
We never tried the "bereavingn process but
once. The experience was sufficient. 1t
was summers afternoon toward twilight.
Two members of the outfit had been lying
down in the black timber II 900 feet up the
mountain, watching on the edge of a parky
place for the elk TO come out into the open.
Slowly the hours passed, aud the sun ank
behind the mountains. The near-sighted
nimrod had been annoying his companion
for hours by mistaking old stumps and
bushes moving in the breeze for the much
desired game. Suddenly he saw on top Of a
ridge black object; he did not
speak, but watched it; he did
not want any more old stumps;
but at last the object dropped behind
ridge; then was he sure, and his heart v as
glad, and he called his companion to place
the field glass upon it as soon as it reap
peared. This he did, and Immediately ex-
claimed: "D)n't shoot. it's a young elk,
we can catch it." Dropping glass and guns.
and all, the outfit rushed out into the open,
TO find the park bog, and the young elk
"a bears cub The brat began 20 yell,
when down through the timber, where the
guns we're, came Ishing and growing the
rate mother; by kind fate, she first made
for her offspring and not TO the intruders;