118 MAMMALIA OF INDIA. 
tree. At this time poor ‘ Ada,’ a Burman otter, and a large white 
poodle were, like many human beings of different tastes or pursuits, very 
fast friends.” In another part he mentions having heard of a bear of 
this species who delighted in cherry brandy, “and on one occasion, 
having been indulged with an entire bottle of this insinuating beverage, 
got so completely intoxicated that it stole a bottle of blacking, and 
drank off the contents under the impression that they were some more 
ofits favourite liquor. The owner of the bear told me that he saw it 
suffering from this strange mixture, and evidently with, as may easily 
be imagined, a terrible headache.” 
So much for the amusing side of the picture, now for the other. 
Although strictly frugivorous, still it has been known to attack and 
devour man in cases of the greatest want, and it also occasionally 
devours small animals and birds, in the pursuit of which, according to 
Dr. Sal Miiller, it prefers those that live on a vegetable diet. The 
Rev. Mr. Mason, in his writings about Burmah, says ‘‘they will occa- 
sionally attack man when alone ;” he instances a bear upsetting two men 
on a raft, and he goes on to add that “last year a Karen of my acquain- 
tance in Tonghoo was attacked by one, overcome, and left by the bear 
for dead.” In this case there was no attempt to devour, and it may 
have been, as I have often observed with the Indian Sloth Bear, that 
such attacks are made by females with young. 
Dr. Sal Miiller states: “in his native forests this bear displays much 
zeal and ingenuity in discovering the nests of bees, and in extracting 
their contents by means of his teeth from the narrow orifices of the 
branches of the trees in which they are concealed.” 
The next species constitutes the genus AZelursus of Meyer or Prochilus 
of Illiger. It is an awkward-shaped beast, from which it probably 
derives its name of ‘Sloth Bear,” for itis not like the sloth in other - 
respects. It has long shaggy hair, large curved claws (which is cer- 
tainly another point of resemblance to the sloth), and a very much 
elongated mobile snout. Another peculiarity is in its dentition ; instead 
of six incisors in the upper jaw it has only four. 
Blyth, in his later writings, adopts IIliger’s generic name /? ‘ochilus. 
No. 167. Ursus (MELURSUS) LABIATUS. 
The Common Indian Sloth Bear. 
Native Names.—Bhalu, Hind. ; Reench, Hind. ; Riksha, Sanscrit ; 
Aswail, Mahr.; Elugu, Tel. ; Kaddi or Karadi, Can. ; Yerid or Asol 
of the Gonds ; ‘Banna of the Coles. 
Hapitat.—All over the peninsula of India. Blyth says it is not 
found in Burmah, 
oe ee Be 
