is the armature of his paws. The paws themselves are
so large, as frequently to leave in the mud a track of twelve inches in
length, by eight in breadth; and from the extremities of these
formidable fists protrude horn-like claws full six inches long! Of
course, we are speaking of individuals of the largest size.

These claws are crescent-shaped, and would be still longer, but in all
cases nearly an inch is worn from their points.

The animal digs up the ground in search of marmots, burrowing squirrels,
and various esculent roots; and this habit accounts for the blunted
condition of his claws. They are sharp enough, notwithstanding, to peel
the hide from a horse or buffalo, or to drag the scalp from a hunter--a
feat which has been performed by grizzly bears on more than one
occasion.

The colour of this animal is most generally brownish, with white hairs
intermixed, giving that greyish or grizzled appearance--whence the
trivial name, grizzly. But although this is the most common colour of
the species, there are many varieties. Some are almost white, others
yellowish red, and still others nearly black. The season, too, has much
to do with the colour; and the pelage is shaggier and longer than that
of the _Ursus Americanus_. The eyes are small in proportion to the size
of the animal, but dark and piercing.

The geographical range of the grizzly bear is extensive. It is
well-known that the great chain of the Rocky Mountains commences on the
shores of the Arctic Ocean, and runs southwardly through the
North-American continent. In those mountains, the grizzly bear is
found, from their northern extremity, at least as far as that point
where the Rio Grande makes its great bend towards the Gulf of Mexico.

In the United States and Canada, this animal has never been seen in a
wild state. This is not strange. The grizzly bear has no affinity with
the forest. Previous to the settling of these territories, they were
all forest-covered. The grizzly is rarely found under heavy timber,
like his congener the black bear; and, unlike the latter, he is not a
tree-climber. The black bear "hugs" himself up a tree, and usually
destroys his victim by compression. The grizzly does not possess this
power, so as to enable him to ascend a tree-trunk; and for such a
purpose, his huge dull claws are worse than useless. His favourite
haunts are the thickets of _Corylus rubus_, and _Amelanchiers_, under
the shade of which he mak