



Produced by Juliet Sutherland, David Widger and PG
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THE BIOGRAPHY OF A GRIZZLY

by Ernest Seton-Thompson

With 75 Drawings (not available in this file)

Author of: The Trail of the Sandhill Stag Wild Animals I Have
Known Art Anatomy of Animals Mammals of Manitoba Birds of Manitoba


1899


This Book is dedicated to the memory of the days spent at the
Palette Ranch on the Graybull, where from hunter, miner, personal
experience, and the host himself, I gathered many chapters of the
History of Wahb.

[Illustration: ] In this Book the designs for title-page, cover, and
general makeup, were done by Mrs. Grace Gallatin Seton-Thompson.

[Illustration: ] List of Full-Page Drawings

They all Rushed Under it like a Lot of Little Pigs

Like Children Playing 'Hands'

He Stayed in the Tree till near Morning

A Savage Bobcat... Warned Him to go Back

Wahb Yelled and Jerked Back

He Struck one Fearful, Crushing Blow

Ain't He an Awful Size, Though?

Wahb Smashed His Skull

Causing the Pool to Overflow

He Deliberately Stood up on the Pine Root

The Roachback Fled into the Woods

He Paused a Moment at the Gate




PART I

THE CUBHOOD OF WAHB

[Illustration:]


I.

He was born over a score of years ago, away up in the wildest part of
the wild West, on the head of the Little Piney, above where the Palette
Ranch is now.

His Mother was just an ordinary Silvertip, living the quiet life that
all Bears prefer, minding her own business and doing her duty by her
family, asking no favors of any one excepting to let her alone. It was
July before she took her remarkable family down the Little Piney to the
Graybull, and showed them what strawberries were, and where to find
them.

Notwithstanding their Mother's deep conviction, the cubs were not
remarkably big or bright; yet they were a remarkable family, for there
were four of them, and it is not often a Grizzly Mother can boast of
more than two.

[Illustration]

The woolly-coated little creatures were having a fine time, and reveled
in the lovely mountain summer and the abundance of good things. Their
Mother turned over each log and flat stone they came to, and the moment
it was lifted they all rushed under it like a lot of little pigs to lick
up the ants and grubs there hidden.

It never once occurred to them that Mammy's strength might fail
sometime, and let the great rock drop just as they got under it; nor
would any one have thought so that might have chanced to see that huge
arm and that shoulder sliding about under the great yellow robe she
wore. No, no; that arm could never fail. The little ones were quite
right. So they hustled and t