SPORT IN WESTERN CHINA 185 



however, and treacherous even towards the hand that feeds 

 and pets them. Herr Weiss, German Consul at Chengtu, had a 

 couple which he kept in the Consulate garden for nearly three 

 years, finally presenting them to the Chinese authorities for 

 transmission to the Zoo in Peking. I saw these animals on 

 many occasions and it was amusing to watch them enjoying 

 a bath and frolicking together. Their presence was known to 

 every one in Chengtu, and the local Chinese were much afraid 

 of them and gave their quarters a wide berth. But hunters 

 do not fear them, and the beast is often surrounded by a 

 group of men and killed at close quarters. An adult averages 

 about 6 feet in length, and weighs about 250 lbs. when fat. 

 The fur is jet-black, with a clear white V-shaped mark on the 

 chest and a white spot on the lower jaw ; the muzzle is dark 

 brown, claws dark horn colour ; the hair is long and soft, 

 A specimen secured in western Hupeh by our expedition 

 measured 73 inches from nose to tip of tail ; 40 inches across 

 skin at widest part ; height at shoulder, 38 inches ; hind-paw, 

 9 inches long, 3^ inches wide ; fore-paw, 7f inches long, 4f 

 inches wide ; claws, ^^ inches long. 



Some confusion exists as to the specific identity of this 

 Bear. Captain Malcolm M'Neill shot two specimens near 

 Tachienlu in 1908. A skin and skull of one of these was 

 submitted to Mr. R. Lydekker for determination. In the 

 Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London, pp. 607-10, 

 with figures (pub. October 1909), Mr. Lydekker discusses 

 this animal and considers it a distinct race of the Himalayan 

 Black Bear,i naming it in honour of its discoverer, Ursus 



^ The oldest name for the Himalayan Black Bear is Ursus thibetanus, 

 F. Cuvier, and the reason given by Dr. Blandford (p. 198, Fauna of British 

 India ; Mammalia) in rejecting this name in favour of Ursus torquaius, 

 " because the animal is unknown from Thibet," is scarcely adequate. It is 

 perfectly true that no specimen, not excepting M'NeiU's, Berezovski's, and 

 Mitchell's, has been reported from Thibet proper, and consequently the name 

 "thibetanus " is a misnomer. But if this argument was generally accepted 

 in scientific literature it would be necessary to change a very large number 

 of specific names. For example, the names of Crossoptilun tibeianum and 

 Budorcas tibetanus would have to be altered, since neither occurs in Thibet 

 proper. Following the laws of priority, therefore, the Szechuan Black Bear 

 becomes Ursus thibetanus macneilli. (See Allen in Mem. Mus. Comp. Zool. 

 Harvard, 1912, xl. No. 4, p. 239.) 



