WOOL- AND FUR-BEARING ANIMALS 259 



adjacent islands. It is an interesting species and makes a good pet, 

 the one shown in the photograph having served a well-known regi- 

 ment in that capacity. There is also, at the time of writing, a young 

 Bear of this species at the London Zoo with which I have the 

 honour of being on intimate terms of acquaintance. True enough 

 the little beast is too fond of a desire 1 to hug one's leg, but it appears 

 to be more in play than otherwise, and I have seen it allow quite 

 young children to fondle it without any harm accruing. To see the 

 baby Bear walk on its hind legs in a sedate sort of way, and in a 

 bolt-upright position, is a delightful experience, and I hope that some 

 day Mr. Berridge may be prevailed upon to snapshot the animal in 

 the act. In a wild state the Malayan Bear exhibits a great preference 

 for honey, whilst it is also said to perpetrate a great deal of damage 

 in cocoa plantations. I have noticed with interest that when feeding 

 in captivity both the young and adult animals lie on their backs 

 whilst thus engaged, taking the food in the front paws and enjoy- 

 ing their meals in this way. I cannot account for this strange pro- 

 ceeding, and imagine that it can be only a habit that has been 

 acquired in captivity. 



SLOTH BEAR. — The last of the Bears with which we are at present 

 concerned is the shaggy-coated individual shown in Fig. 204. This 

 is an Indian species which is commonly known in its own country 

 as the Bhalu, and by the Mahrattas as the Aswal. 



It is an important animal which should not be overlooked, as it 

 differs so much from its relatives that it has been placed in a separate 

 genus of its own. We need not enter into the reasons for this generic 

 distinction excepting to state that the structure and number of the 

 teeth are mainly responsible, and that the large and powerful claws, 

 the elongated and mobile snout and lower lip are salient character- 

 istics. 



It has been described as being "at best but an ugly-looking 

 animal," and although I am desirous of adhering to my promise, I 

 cannot refrain from stating that there is something quite distinct 

 which makes a strong appeal to me in this rough, shaggy-coated 

 warrior. Its very presence denotes in a way the wilds which it 

 frequents, and one is able to conjure up in the mind the place it 

 occupies in the fauna of the Indian Empire, difficult as that may 

 be when the beast is surveyed behind iron bars. 



It is not such a large beast as might be supposed from an 

 examination of Fig. 204, but it makes up for its comparative 



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