THE BROWN BEAR 



599 



deepens with age, this darkening being generally most developed in old males, 

 which are frequently indistinguishable in color from the ordinary European form. 

 Young animals have a white collar on the throat, traces of which may frequently be 

 observed in the newly-grown fur of the adult. The summer coat is much shorter 

 and thinner than the winter dress, and is likewise darker in color. The claws are 

 of moderate length, and their color varies from brown to nearly white. 



THE BROWN BEAR. 



(One-sixteenth natural size.) 



Mr. Blanford suggests that the generally lighter color of the Himalayan brown 

 Dear may be due to the circumstance that it inhabits more open ground than the 

 European variety. To this I would add that the silver-barked birch, among which 

 these bears are so often found, suggests another reason why their color should so 

 generally be comparatively light, as among such surroundings a dark animal would 

 be conspicuous. Moreover, it may be that the snow lies longer on the ground in 



