202 



THE BEASTS OF PREY. 



The Sloth Bears' The food of the Sloth Bear consists 

 Food and How almost exclusively of vegetable sub- 

 They Get It. stances and smaller animals, espe- 

 cially invertebrates, and he is said to eat eggs and 

 small birds only occasionally. All naturalists agree 

 in asserting that he never attacks larger animals 

 with a view to eating them, except that Sanderson 

 and McMaster tell experiences where Bears had 

 eaten part of a Stag which had been shot, and 

 another time of an Ox killed by a Tiger. Cubs 

 reared in captivity willingly eat raw and cooked 

 meat, however. Various roots and fruits of all kinds, 

 the much prized pulpy buds of the Mohra tree or 

 broad-leaved Bassia, Bees' nests, of which the combs 

 and grubs taste as sweet as the honey to him, Cater- 

 pillars, Snails and Ants form his principal sustenance, 

 and his long curved claws are of great service to 

 him in searching for and digging out hidden roots or 

 excavating Ant-hills. He even destroys the wonder- 

 fully built fastnesses of the White Ants and in such 



mammals, including Man, in the most cruel way, 

 before eating them. He is said to hug his victims 

 close with his arms and claws and then to break 

 their limbs one after another deliberately and while 

 constantly sucking them with his lips. As a rule he 

 avoids Man; but his slowness not infrequently pre- 

 vents his flight and then, either from fear or with the 

 instinct of self-preservation, he assumes the offen- 

 sive. His attacks become so dangerous under these 

 circumstances that the Cingalese consider him the 

 most terrible of animals. Sanderson writes: "Sloth 

 Bears are not harmless to unarmed people. Wood 

 cutters and other people who follow their vocation 

 in the forest and the jungle often fare very badly 

 in their encounters with these Bears. Like all wild 

 animals they are most dangerous when surprised, for 

 then, actuated by fright and fear, they may attack a 

 Man." 



The animal is hunted in various ways. His trail is 

 easily recognized in the morning in the dewy grass 



^S'S^i 



THE AILUROPUS. This is a very rare animal which was first discovered by Pere David in 



body with very long fur and very short tail. The fur is for the greater part white, but the black marki 

 the eyes and the limbs being black, and a wide strip extending from the front legs up to the shoulder: 

 pally on roots, bamboos and other vegetable food. [Ailuropus melanoleucus.) 



isoq in eastern Tibet. It has a clumsy 

 ngs are peculiar, the ears, a ring around 

 i is also black. It is said to feed princi- 



a case plays sad havoc among the young brood. 

 Sanderson also relates that in some localities the 

 Aswals visit the groves of wild date-trees, where 

 palm-wine is manufactured. They climb the trunks 

 of the trees, which are from eighteen to twenty-four 

 feet high, up to the very tops, upon which are hung 

 the vessels which catch the outflowing juice ; they 

 tilt the filled vessels with their paws until they can 

 drink the contents. A few quarts of the liquid 

 might not be begrudged them if they did not break 

 so many vessels while making their clumsy thefts. 

 People who sustain the loss say that the thieves do 

 not go to the trouble of climbing down, but simply 

 let themselves fall to the ground, and further state 

 that they often get fairly intoxicated with the wine. 

 Sloth Bears Tennent's communications concern- 

 Sometimes Very ing the habits of the Sloth Bear are 

 Dangerous. no t absolutely confirmed by recent 

 accounts. In East India the Bear is said to torment 



and shrubs, and may be readily followed, or one may 

 find his den, and there await his return from his noc- 

 turnal prowlings; or may systematically search a 

 stretch of jungle where Bears are sure or likely to 

 be found, and shoot them when they are driven out 

 into the open ground. 



Captive Sloth The Sloth Bear has been repeatedly 

 Bears Become observed in captivity, in India as well 

 Very Docile. a s in Europe. In his native country 

 his docility is utilized by mountebanks and jugglers, 

 and like Bruin he is trained to perform all kinds of 

 tricks. He is kept on milk, bread, fruit and meat, 

 and usually comes to the conclusion that he decid- 

 edly prefers bread and fruit to other food. Curled 

 up like a sleeping Dog he rolls from one side to 

 the other, jumps around, turns somersaults, walks 

 erect and makes the queerest faces when food is 

 offered him. He also impresses one as being com- 

 paratively good-natured, familiar and honest. 



