r roamed over exactly the same country
in those mountains; but they were as distinct in habits, and mixed as
little together as moose and caribou.

On the other hand, when a sufficient number of bears, from widely
separated regions are examined, the various distinguishing marks are
found to be inconstant and to show a tendency--exactly how strong I
cannot say--to fade into one another. The differentiation of the two
species seems to be as yet scarcely completed; there are more or less
imperfect connecting links, and as regards the grisly it almost seems as
if the specific character were still unstable. In the far northwest,
in the basin of the Columbia the "black" bear is as often brown as any
other color; and I have seen the skins of two cubs, one black and one
brown, which were shot when following the same dam. When these brown
bears have coarser hair than usual their skins are with difficulty to be
distinguished from those of certain varieties of the grisly. Moreover,
all bears vary greatly in size; and I have seen the bodies of very large
black or brown bears with short fore-claws which were fully as heavy as,
or perhaps heavier than, some small but full-grown grislies with long
fore-claws. These very large bears with short claws are very reluctant
to climb a tree; and are almost as clumsy about it as is a young grisly.
Among the grislies the fur varies much in color and texture even among
bears of the same locality; it is of course richest in the deep forest,
while the bears of the dry plains and mountains are of a lighter, more
washed-out hue.

A full grown grisly will usually weigh from five to seven hundred
pounds; but exceptional individuals undoubtedly reach more than twelve
hundredweight. The California bears are said to be much the largest.
This I think is so, but I cannot say it with certainty--at any rate I
have examined several skins of full-grown California bears which were
no larger than many I have seen from the northern Rockies. The Alaskan
bears, particularly those of the peninsula, are even bigger beasts;
the skin of one which I saw in the possession of Mr. Webster, the
taxidermist, was a good deal larger than the average polar bear skin;
and the animal when alive, if in good condition, could hardly have
weighed less than 1,400 pounds.[*] Bears vary wonderfully in weight,
even to the extent of becoming half as heavy again, according as they
are fat or lean; in this respect they are more like hogs t