"There are bears in the woods, but not in such numbers nor of such
unspeakable ferocity as town-dwellers imagine, nor do bears spend
their lives in going about the country like the devil, seeking whom
they may devour. Oregon bears, like most others, have no liking for
man either as meat or as society; and while some may be curious at
times to see what manner of creature he is, most of them have
learned to shun people as deadly enemies."
Mr. William H. Wright spent most of his time from 1883 to 1908 as a
hunter of wild animals, and especially as a hunter of the grizzly. In
addition to being an observer of exceptional care while hunting and
trapping, he spent some years in photographing grizzlies. He first
studied them in order to hunt them successfully; then laid aside his
rifle and hunted them to study them. From full acquaintance with the
grizzly Mr. Wright declares that he is not ferocious. He offers the
following comment concerning his curiosity--a trait which early
explorers mistook for ferocity:--
"We know now that the grizzly is chock-full of curiosity, and that
one of his habits is to follow up any trail that puzzles or
interests him, be it of man or beast. This trait has been noted and
misconstrued by many.... So often have I seen this curiosity and
proved it to be innocent that I have no fear whatever of these
animals when indulging in this weakness of theirs. Time and again I
have allowed one to approach within a few yards of me, and no calm
observer who had watched a bear defying his own caution to satisfy
his own inquisitiveness could mistake the nature of his approach."
Drummond, the botanist, had numerous experiences with grizzlies in the
Rocky Mountains in 1826. He was familiar with their curiosity. He says
that often they came close and stood up to look at him. But if he made a
noise with his specimen-box, or "even waved his hand," they ran away.
James Capen Adams hunted and trapped big game from 1849 to 1859 in
California and along the Pacific Coast. He captured numerous grizzlies,
both old and young, and literally domesticated them. He discusses their
characteristics at length. He knew them intimately, and in summing them
up after years of close association he says of the grizzly, "He did not
invite combat."
Kit Carson, another frontiersman of long experience with grizzlies, in
writing of them does not call them ferocious.
Dr. W. T. Hornaday knows the grizzly in the wilds and has long and
intimately known him in the zoo. In "The American Natural History" Dr.
Hornaday has the following:--
"I have made many observations on the temper of the Grizzly Bear,
and am convinced that naturally the disposition of this reputedly
savage creature is rather peaceful and good-natured. At the same
time, however, no animal is more prompt to resent an affront or
injury, or punish an offender. The Grizzly temper is defensive, not
aggressive; and unless the animal is cornered, or _thinks he is
cornered_, he always flees from man."
The early explorers were warned by the Indians that the grizzly was "an
awful and ferocious animal." All the early writers had the preconceived
belief that the grizzly was ferocious. Many of these writers never saw a
grizzly, but wrote down as fact the erroneous conclusions of the
Indians. The few writers who did see a grizzly evidently judged him
largely from these preconceived ideas. Even Lewis and Clark describe a
number of the grizzly's actions and call him ferocious when the very
actions which they describe simply show him as being curious,
interested, or, at worst, excited at their strange appearance. They
misinterpreted what actually happened.
A few sentences from Audubon well illustrate the wrought-up frame of
mind of many hunters and authors when hunting or writing about the
grizzly. Audubon says:--
"While in the neighborhood where the grizzly bear may possibly be
hidden, the excited nerves will cause the heart's pulsations to
quicken if but a startled ground squirrel run past, the sharp click
of the lock is heard and the rifle hastily thrown to the shoulder
before a second of time has assured the hunter of the trifling cause
of his emotion." This suggests emotion but not accuracy.
In summing up the animals of the North and West in 1790, Edward
Umfreville wrote of the "red and the grizzle bear" that "their
nature is savage and ferocious, their power dangerous, and their
haunts to be guarded against."