248 THE GEOGRAPHY OF MAMMALS 



Brown Bear ( U. arctos), which, under different forms and 

 varieties, occupies the whole Palsearctic Region, and is 

 represented in the Nearctic by the scarcely distinct 

 Grizzly Bear (U. horibilis) under various forms. A third 

 species is the Black Bear of North America (U. ameri- 

 canus) which is represented in Japan by U. ja/ponicus 

 and throughout Central Asia by the Himalayan Bear 

 (U. tibetanus). Finally, in the Oriental Region we meet 

 with the Malayan Bear (JJ. malayanus), which is found 

 not only in the Malay Peninsula but extends on one 

 side into the islands of Sumatra, Java, and Borneo, and 

 on the other side through Burma into North-eastern India. 

 It is a curious fact that the Malayan Bear is entirely 

 frugivorous, while its huge ally the Polar Bear, Avith 

 exactly the same dentition, in all probability eats little 

 else than flesh. 



Besides the true Bear ( Ursus), two other genera, each 

 containing but a single species, must be placed in the 

 same family. These are the Sloth Bear (Melursus) of 

 India, which is restricted to the Indian Peninsula and 

 Ceylon, and must be therefore regarded as a purely 

 Oriental type, and the vEluropus {JEluropus melano- 

 leucus), which occurs only in the high mountains of 

 Eastern Tibet and must be attributed to the Paleearctic 

 Region. 



As already stated the Procyonidze, or Raccoons, which 

 embrace six genera and about nine species, are inhabitants 

 of the New World with one singular exception. This is 

 the peculiar Panda {JZlurus fulgens) of Nepaul, which, 

 although at one time believed to belong to the Bear family, 

 is now usually held to be most nearly related to the Rac- 

 coons of America. With this one exception the Raccoons 



