H5503

Geometric Snowflakes

Grizzly Bear

Cover Announcement 

In 1815 naturalist George Ord formally classified this fearsome animal as "Ursus Horribilis" which means terrifying bear. It was first mentioned a decade or so earlier when Lewis and Clark named it a "grizzly" in their journals. The members of that expedition had several confrontational encounters with this large and aggressive bear.

The individually hand painted cachet shows a majestic grizzly on a Montana wilderness snowfield with a winter mountain range in the distance. Today there are about 800 grizzlies in the state and, in part, I want this Collins first day cover to be a tribute to the brave individuals in the Corps of Discovery who, over two hundred years ago, discovered and battled this awesome wildlife species in Montana.

North American Brown Bear is the designation that science has assigned to this big mammal. A male can grow on average to about 800 pounds and on the coast of Alaska up to 1500 pounds and standing up to 10 feet in height. lndeed. a terrifying bear. The fur color can range from blond to almost black with brown being the most common.

Vast and countless accumulations of snowflakes create the cold habitats for the large mammals living in the North. Previousiy offered was the wild gray wolf by its winter den. Coming soon will be the bull moose from the North Woods of Maine and the huge musk ox on Alaska's icy coastland.

The awesome grizzly bear is now ready. Ursus Honibilis. Collins #H5502 at $15.00.