Game Animals of India, etc. 



the rounded form of the head, the short and broad 

 face, in which the eyes are directed forwards, and the 

 small rounded ears. The limbs are short and stout, 

 with the feet and their pads completely covered with 

 fur, and the large claws sharp and capable of partial 

 retraction within protecting sheaths. The long, thick, 

 soft coat has a woolly under-fur, and the well-haired 

 cylindrical tail, which is rather more than two-thirds 

 the length of the head and body, is marked by rings 

 paler than the general colour of the fur, its tip being 

 black. The prevailing colour is rich rusty red, fre- 

 quently somewhat paler on the back than elsewhere, 

 and always lighter on the forehead ; the under-parts of 

 the body and the inner surface of the limbs are for the 

 most part black, although brownish in places, and the 

 outer side of the ears is often sable, although sometimes 

 dark red. With the exception of a red stripe running 

 down from the eye to the angle of the mouth, and 

 sometimes also of a line from the forehead to the 

 snout, the face and lips are white, as are also the 

 margins and inner surface of the ears. The claws are 

 white, and the soles of the feet whitish or whitey 

 brown. The length of the head and body varies from 

 20 to 24, and that of the tail (exclusive of the hair at 

 the tip) from 16 to 17 inches, the weight ranging 

 between 7 and 9^ pounds. Individuals are occa- 

 sionally met with in which the black tends to invade 

 the upper-parts. 



Very curious are the teeth of the panda, which at 

 first sight recall those of hoofed herbivorous mammals, 

 the tusks being small and weak, and the molars with a 

 complicated arrangement of cusps on their grinding 

 surfaces. Closer examination shows that these latter 

 teeth are essentially similar in general structure to 

 those of the American raccoons, and thus unlike those 

 of other Carnivora. 



The panda has a somewhat remarkable distribution, 

 inhabiting the Eastern Himalaya, at an elevation 



366 



