The Muskogee cimeter. [volume] (Muskogee, Indian Territory, Okla.) 1901-19??, 1906-09-20
GRIZZLY IS SMART.
MOST CUNNING OF ANIMALS, AC-
coRplNo TO HUNTER.
WelI-laid Plans to obtain Snapshot
by Automatic Camera All Frus.
trated by Willy Yellow
stone Park Bruin.

stunts about a patent picture taking
device this week that completely set
at naught the efforts of w. H. Wright,
the hunter, naturalist and author, to
have them take flashlight snapshot
Of themselves. Mr. Wright has re-
turned to his home in Spokane after
fortnight spent In the haunts Of the
grizzly In the dense timber of the
Jackson Hole country at the edge OF
Yellowstone park, vowing he will per-
feet another automatic camera by
which to circumvent willy Bruin.
"The grizzly is the sharpest animal
that walks on four legs" said he.
"The common bear is an unmiti-
gated idiot compared with him. AL
though / have spent "a years hunting
grizzlies and have traversed the Rock
les from Alaska to Mexico City in my
quest. ] learned more about the cum
ming OF the grizzly last week than
ever dreamed.
II had stretched tiny black thread
across well-be EN- trail, In the ex-
pectation that in the dark they would
walk against 1t. thereby releasing a
spring that would set off flashlight
powder In a camera which l had sta
toned few yards away on the wind
ward side of the trail. hid in the
branches $50 feet further to the wind
ward and awaited developments.
1T had become so dark that could
barely discern an object at that dis
tance, when three bears came down
the trail. single file. was congratu-
lating myself on the magnificent pho
tograph / was about to get when the
foremost bear shifted. halted two or
three feet from that black thread and
proceeded to extend his nose cautious
ly toward 1t. He had scented a No.
40 linen thread when it was so dark
he could not possibly see 1t.
THE second bear, curious to know
pass the front one on the narrow trail,
placed his front paws on the back Of
the leader and peered over his shoul-
der at the strange smelling object.
The rear bear, equally inquisitive,
mounted the back of the second in the
same way and stretched his neck in
the same manner
"The leader touched the thread GIN
gerly with his nose Suddenly there
was fash and puff, and the whole
scene was brilliantly illuminated. In
stead OF running away, the bears
looked at the sky and then at each
other, as much as to inquire why
there should be fash OF lightning on
such a clear night.
ITO go ahead with the story when
those bears had recovered from their
surprise, they proceeded to trace that
thread to it's source Fortunately, in
stead Of following 1t toward the cam
era, they nosed along toward the end
which was attached 10 spool. had
taken the pains to bury that spool
In the ground. but they dug 1t up in
Then they held serious powwow
over the spool. accompanied by much
sage shaking of heads. After a time
they turned about and beat an order
ly retreat up the trail in the direction
whence they had come"
In all, Mr. Wright saw 30 bears ap,
proach that thread during his more
than ten days OF patient effort to get
photograph. OF that number not
one crossed the thread. Four times
was the trap sprung by Mr.. Bruin, pro
6ucing spark In small battery at
tached to the pan containing the flash
light powder. One excellent snapshot
was the result. The other flashes
proved inadequate. owing to insufn
cient powder, producing only a din
outline of the grizzlies that had