The Bruan, or Malay Bear 



The skin of the Bergen specimen is stated to be more 

 like that of a Himalayan black bear than a Malay 

 bruan. 



THE ASWAL, OR SLOTH-BEAR 



[Melursus ursinus) 



Native Names. — Rinch or Rich^ Bhalu, and Adamzad^ 

 Hindustani ; Bhaluk, Bengali ; Riksha, San- 

 scrit ; Aswal or Aswail^ M ah rath i ; Terid^ 

 Tedjal^ AND Asol of the Gonds ; Bir-menai, 

 Oran ; Bana of the Ho-kol ; Elugu^ Telegu ; 

 Kaddi OR Karadij Tamil and Canarese ; Pani- 

 karadi, Malarari ; Usa^ Cingalese. 



(Plate ix, fig, 12) 



With its long, shaggy, coarse black hair, mobile snout, 

 long extensile tongue, and large and powerful claws, 

 the aswal or sloth-bear, as it is commonly called by 

 sportsmen, must be regarded as very distinct from 

 more typical representatives of the family Ursida. 

 Still more important points of distinction are revealed 

 by its anatomy, which are regarded as sufficient to 

 justify the separation of the animal from the genus 

 Ursus^ and its reference to a group (^Melursus) by itself. 

 One of these points of difference is a reduction in the 

 number of the upper front, or incisor, teeth from three 

 to two pairs ; while another is the small proportional 

 size of the cheek-teeth ; and a third the excessive width, 

 length, and concavity of the bony palate of the skull, 

 and the great convexity of the profile of the latter. 

 With the exception ot the extremity ot the snout 

 (which is dirty grey), of a narrow white horseshoe- 

 shaped gorget on the chest, and of the white claws, the 

 sloth-bear is entirely black ; the long and shaggy hair, 

 which is more elongated over the shoulders than else- 

 where, gives such a generally untidy appearance that 



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