The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-07-07
BEARS THAT CATCH SALMON.
Easy Fishing and Good Fish in the
Waters of Alaska.
From the New York Sun.

From the New York Sun.
Most bears catch fish if they have a
chance" said DR.. Tarleton H. Bean, for
merly icthyologist of the United States
fish commission and now superintendent
of the New York aquarium, but they don t
all have as easy fishing or as good fish to
eat as the bears in Alaska. There the bears
catch salmon. In the spawning season the
fish are so thick in the streams that the
bear has simply to stand on the bank and
pick out the fish he wants The salmon
run up the rivers from the ocean. Some
great streams they follow for hundreds of
miles, seeking the head waters. 1t is the
common belief that from these long Jour-
neys the salmon never returns alive. Worn
and emaciated, often wounded by contact
some journey, it deposits its spawn and
dies in its effort to regain the sea.
The salmon seek smaller streams as
well. On the island of Kadiak, for in
stance, in the Gulf of Alaska, they run in
great numbers up the Karluk river, about
twenty miles to its source in Karluk lake,
which is eight miles long, three of four
miles wide, and so deep that no line vet
| III OPpCd III IL mas IedCUeQ the bottom. The
salmon spawn in the lake, in the shallow
places along the shore, and in the little
! streams tributary to it. These little
streams may be in some places so shallow
| as to contain scarcely enough water to
| float the fish; its back and fin and the top
of its back may be out of water. The sal
mon of the Karluk river is the red SAL
| mon, the great salmon of commerce. 1t
attains a length of nearly three feet, and
| weight of ten to twelve pounds
| various birds eat many of the smaller
salmon, and small fishes of other kinds
eat many of the salmon eggs. The bears
eat the grown fish as they pass up or down
the stream on the way to or from their
| spawning places. The bear of Kadiak is
the grizzly; it may grow to weigh a thou
sand pounds or more, though that would
be one of unusual size; four hundred
pounds would be much nearer the average
weight. 1t is the common habit of the
bear in Alaska to catch salmon Every year
when the season begins, which is in the
summer, the bears go to the streams to
nsh, and they fish all through the season
as long as the fish continue to run.
The country around the Karluk lake is
wooded, the timber being chiefly cotton
wood. There are places on the river where
there is tall grass, perhaps six feet in
night. 1t may be that a grizzly will be
seen coming down out of the woods on all
tnlng while on its way to the river stand
ing up in the grass, its head appearing
above the top of it.
The bear is a good swimmer but he
doesn't need to do any swimming here
He stands with his hind feet on the bank
| and his fore feet in shoal water and looks
straight ahead. The fish swim past in
endless procession and close in to the banks
looking for springs and little streams.
cool places, where they like to deposit
thelr eggs. The bear looks ahead intentlv
nave never stood near enough to a bear
that was fishing to see that he did so. but
nave no doubt that he selects out of the
many constantly passing particular fish.
one that pleases his fancy He SLAMS tho
salmon out of the water and IN on the
oank, and turns and eats it while it is still
ahVe. She bears take their cubs to the
river and feed them there on salmon. and
incidentally teach them to fish.
Ihere is species of elderberry that
grows luXuriantly near these salmon
grounds, snowy berry, that looks like the
elderDerry of this part of the country ex-
cept that instead of being black il is red
Inc bear is fond of these berries, and often
AFTER eating salmon he eats quantity of
them by way of desert before he goes
back to the woods.
Frequently near the bear, as he feeds
seen Iox, the common gray fox of
49, perhaps nfteen inches
nigh, measuring to the tip of it's extended
tai three and a half feet and weiohins,
twenty-five or thirty pounds. The fov -
not AFRAID of the bear but still he takes
care not to get too hear him. The fox has
come TO take what the bear leaves rTbe
IoX can watch birds. but not fish. he Iii,as
nsn; however. and he knows the habits
~ -, .ne lear, and he comes before the bear
gets through his meal and waits. ana 80
ter the bear has gone away the a., az, n1l al
up what the bear has left" 0's'"S