112 WHAT ABOUT THE JAVAN BEAR? 



Bear from Borneo with the skulls of Javan specimens ! For 

 he wrote verbatim : » but perhaps the Boruean specimen 

 »may be found to have a rather larger tubercular grinder 

 » which is more contracted behind than in the Javan spe- 

 •stcimens." One of the officers of the British Museum how- 

 ever kindly told me by letter d. d. May 26«' 1898 in 

 reply on my request: »I beg to inform you that we have 

 »in our collection the skin of a bear labelled Helarctos 

 »malayanus from Sumatra. The specimen is mentioned in 

 » Gray's List of specimens of Mammalia in B. M. 1843, 

 »p. 73. This appears to be the only bear from that region 

 » which we have in the collection." Gray's Javan specimens 

 not having been seen by other naturalists and nobody 

 knowing the way by which they arrived in the Museum 

 and by which they have disappeared , the proof that bears 

 have been brought over from Java is entirely failing! 



It is a since long well-known fact that neither natura- 

 lists nor dutch inhabitants of Java have seen there a 

 Bear; contrariwise they all unanimously related that in 

 the island of Java the Bear is not to be found. 



In the Leyden Museum are specimens from Sumatra and 

 Borneo , moreover a specimen said to come from Banka ; 

 I cannot ascertain that the Bear truly is living in Banka, 

 however the geographical position of that island , rather 

 close to Sumatra, indicates the possibility, and — the Bear 

 is a very good swimmer. 



To conclude we may accept as well established facts 

 that Ursus malayanus is living in Sumatra and Borneo, 

 probably in Banka, but most certainly not in Java, Cele- 

 bes or smaller Malayan islands. 



Notes from the Leyden Musetim, Vol. XX. 



