when it does happen, it is spoken of for years afterwards. She must,
therefore, retire to her den immediately after impregnation; and
cannot go above three months with young; as instances have occurred
of their being found suckling their young in the month of January, at
which period they are not larger than the common house-rat, presenting
the appearance of animals in embryo, yet perfect in all their parts.

Bruin prepares his hybernal dormitory with great care, lining it with
hay, and stopping up the entrance with the same material; he enters it
in October, and comes out in the month of April. He passes the winter
alone, in a state of morbid drowsiness, from which he is roused
with difficulty; and neither eats nor drinks, but seems to derive
nourishment from sucking his paws. He makes his exit in spring
apparently in as good condition as when he entered; but a few days'
exposure to the air reduces him to skin and bone.

The natives pay particular attention to the appearance presented by
the unoccupied dens they may discover in summer: if bruin has removed
his litter of the preceding winter, he intends to reoccupy the same
quarters; if he allows it to remain, he never returns; and the hunter
takes his measures accordingly.

The black bear shuns the presence of man, and is by no means
a dangerous animal; the grisly bear, on the contrary, commands
considerable respect from the "lord of the creation," whom he attacks
without hesitation. By the natives, the paw of a grisly bear is
considered as honourable a trophy as the scalp of a human enemy.

The reports I have had, both from natives and white trappers, confirm
the opinion that certain varieties of the fox belong to the same