THE BKOWN BEAK. 32 1 



it. But the improvement of manners has abolished this cruel amuse- 

 ment, and the bear is only called upon to display his talents by dancing 

 and going through the platoon exercise. 



Bears are seen in all Zoological Gardens, and the Swiss city of Berne 

 keeps several in honor of its name. The bear in captivity is usually 

 gentle, and takes cakes and frxxJ from visitors. The bc-ar's name in 

 " Reynard the Fox " is "Bruin," but in Paris all bears at the Jardin des 

 Hlantes are called " Martin." They derive this name from a celebrated 

 fellow-captive. He was unrivaled at begging and catching in his mouth 

 the pieces thrown to him. He earned his glorious fame by killing a 

 soldier. This man saw sfjmething shining in Martin's den, and mistook 

 it for a piece of gold. He foolishly went down to pick it up, but it only 

 turned out to be a brass button ; Martin attacked and killed him, and 

 from that day became a prominent character in the Jardin des Fbntes. 



The .Syrian Bear, Ursus Isabellinus (^Plate XXIV), is possessed of a 

 coat which in youth is a grayish-brown, but in mature years, white. 

 The hair is long and curled, and hides a thick woolly fur, while at the 

 neck and shoulders it projects like a mane. 



To this species belonged an animal which enjoyed a high reputation 

 at Oxford and elsewhere, on account of his singularly gentle and amusing 

 manners. The bear, which was generally known by the name of " Tig," 

 being an abbreviation of the somewhat lengthy name of Tiglath-Pileser, 

 was for some time a noted celebrity in Oxford, whither he was brought 

 in his early boyhood. High-spirited and rather tetchy in temper, he 

 was very affectionate to those who treated him with consideration, and 

 was perfectly amenable to proper discipline; he was accustomed to don 

 a regulation cap and gown, and under this learned shade to perambulate 

 the college, and partake of the hospitality of its members. 



On one occasion he contrived to escape from bondage, and made at 

 once for a candy-store. The owner took to flight at his entrance, and 

 when his pursuers entered they found Mr. Tig seated upon the counter, 

 helping himself to brown sugar with a liberal paw, and displaying such 

 an appreciation of his good fortune that it was not without much trouble 

 that he was removed from the scene of hLs repast. He was rather pecu- 

 liar in his tastes, and had attained to a highly civilized state of epicurean- 

 ism, for his chief delicacies were not, as might be supposed, the produce 

 ol the garden or the iield, but the more sophisticated dainties of hot 

 muffins and cold ices. He was a most social animal, and if left 



