B E A 



92 



B I 



la>an specie*. Dr. Horsflcld gives the following account of 

 the Burnean bear in captivity , to the- corr, .. liirh 



we can bear testimony, for we watched the animal nar- 

 rowly: 'Our animal has been shown to bo completely 

 plantigrade: it rests with facility on the posterior foot, anil 

 its robust thighs not only support it while sitting;, but cvon 

 enable it to raise itself without difficulty to a nearly erect 

 posture. But it is more generally seen in a sitting altitude, 

 at the door of its apartment, eagerly surveying the visitors, 

 and attracting their notice by the uncoulnness of its form 

 or the singularity of its motions. Although it appears heavy 

 and stupid, most of iu senses, particularly those of sight 

 and smelling, are very acute. The keeper has frequently 

 observed thai it attentively regards whatever passes before it 

 in tbe court But the olfactory organs are peculiarly strong, 

 and appear to be in a state of constant excitement Tbe 

 HeUtrclut has considerable command over the lleshy extre- 

 mity of its nose, and the parts adjacent, which it often dis- 

 plays in a very ludicrous manner, particularly when a morsel 

 of bread or cake is held at a small distance beyond its reach. 

 It expands the lateral aperture of the nostrils, protrudes its 

 upper lip by a strong effort, thrusting it forward as a pro- 

 boscis, while it employs its paws to seize the object. After 

 obtaining it and filling the mouth, it places the remainder 

 with great calmness on the posterior feet, bringing it in 

 successive portions to its mouth. It often voluntarily places 

 itself in an imploring attitude, turning the head in dilt'crent 

 directions, earnestly regarding the spectators and extending 

 the paws. The Halarctns readily distinguishes the keeper, 

 nnd evinces an attachment to him. On his approach it em- 

 all its efforts to obtain food, seconding them by emit- 

 ting a coarse, but not unpleasant, whining sound. This il 

 continues while it consumes its food, alternately with a low 

 grunting noise ; but if teased at this time, it suddenly raises 

 its voice und emits at intervals harsh and grating, sounds. 

 Our animal is excessively voracious, and appears to be dis- 

 posed to eat almost without cessation. When in a good 

 humour, it often amuses the spectators in a different man- 

 ner. Calmly seated in its apartment, it expands the jaws, 

 and protrudes its long and slender tongue as above de- 

 scribed. It displays on many occasions not only much gen- 

 tleness of disposition, but likewise a considerable degree ol 

 sagacity. It appears conscious of the kind treatment it 

 receives from its keeper. On seeing him, it often places 

 itself in a variety of attitudes to court his attention and ca- 

 . tending its nose and anterior feet, or suddenly 

 turning round exposing the back, and waiting for 

 minutes in this altitude with the head placed on the ground. 

 It delight! in being patted and nibbed, and even allows 

 strangers to do so; but it violently resents abuse and ill 

 treatment, and having been irritated, refuses to be courted 

 while the offending person remains in sight.' 



rlarctm) enryipilui.] 



The individual whose manners are here so well described 



fell a \ii tim to its vora, M g the hot weather of the 



summer of ' morning, und died 



within ten minut. ]<, 5 Um is preserved in 



the Museum of the Zoological Society. 



AFRICA* BEAR*. 



The existence of bears in Africa has been more than 

 doubted. Even C'uvier, who saw the t tne 



negative evidence on this subject, says, 'the exi-teiK-c of 

 bears in Africa is not so indisputable.' 



Pliny (viii. 3G) observes, that it was recorded in the 

 Annals that Domitius ^linobarbus, the curule yiidile, in tbe 

 consulship of M. Piso and M. Messala, B.C. f>'2, exhibited a 

 hundred Numidian bears, and as many ^Ethiopian hnntois 

 in the circus, and adds his wonder that the bears should 

 have been called Numidian, as it was evident that ni. 

 were produced in Africa. In the 57th chapter of the - 

 book he makes the broad assertion, that in Africa there 

 are neither boars, nor stags, nor goats, nor bears. 



I 'isimis Lipsius and Vossius have tried to make out 

 that these Numidian bears were lions, and adduce, in proa 

 medals of -Tinobarbus with a man fighting a lion. But. as 

 C'uvier well observes, how could the Romans, who, a. 

 ing to this same Pliny, had seen such niultinul 

 have confounded the two animal-? He liirthc, 

 that Aldrovandus and Zimmerman support the annalist, 

 maintaining that a bear exists in Africa, but that it il 

 and that Solinus even asserts that the bear is finer there, 

 bring covered with longer hair, and of a very furious dispo- 

 sition. 



Shaw speaks of bears of Barbary, but without particu- 

 lari/inn; them. 



Desfontaines who remained so long at Algiers, and vi- 

 sited Atlas, never saw a bear, and only heard a vague 

 report that there might be some in the forests, des environs 

 de la Calle.' 



' Prosper Alpinus,' says Cuvier, 'attributes bears to 

 Egypt, but which were assuredly no bears at all, for he 

 states that they are of the sire of a sheep, and of a white 

 colour. Never did one of the naturalists of our expedition 

 see there any true bears.' [But see SYRIAN BKA.R.] 



Poncet, indeed, says that one of his mules was wounded 

 in Nubia by a bear. But Bruce thinks that he confounded 

 the Arabian word dubbah, which signifies a hytcna, with 

 dubb (whence probably the name of the star in the con- 

 stellation), which signifies a bear. He goes farther, nnd 

 says positively that there is no bear in any part of Africa. 



All these authorities are enumerated by Cuvier, who 

 alludes also to Dapper as placing bears in Congo, but with 

 no reliance on him. 



The inclination of Cuvier's mind, then, seems to have 

 been against the existence of bears in Africa ; and yet tho 

 record of the annalist quoted by Pliny, and the numerous 

 passages concerning Libyan bears in Herodotus, Virgil, 

 Juvenal, Martial and others, make a strong case for that 

 existence. 



It was reserved for Ehrenbcrg to s .Ive these doubts in 

 great measure. In the work above quoted he thus writes 

 'Moreover, we ourselves have seen in the mountains of 

 Abyssinia, and therefore in Africa itself, an animal most 

 like to a bear (nay, why had I not said a bear?) and 

 hunted it repeatedly, but in vain. It is called by the na- 

 tives Karrai.' He then goes on to state, that he can give 

 'O those who are interested in the geographical distribution 

 of the bear, true tidings of a blackish plantigrade wild beast 

 nost like unto a bear, in the mountains of Al>\s-:m;>, 

 though neither Bruce nor Salt makes menli qi of it: and 

 that, according to the description of the inhabitants, the 

 mountains of Arabia Felix are inhabited by a similar or 

 the same blackish bear, said to be remarkable for its length- 

 ened muzzle. He adds, ' Forskal, moreover, has brought 

 tidings of an indigenous Arabian bear.' 



MARINE BEAR. 



Thu/nrctos. 



/'.,/,;/ /,' ,ir. Martens was one of the first who distin- 

 guished tin .../in actual observation. The bnwn 



n stated, appears to ha\e been tho only 

 species kn.iwn to Linnirus. It is not, indeed, till his tenth 

 edition that he shows any suspicion that the Polar bear 

 -tinct; nnd, in his last, he only ventures to say, in a 

 notice appended to the description of Ursus Arctos, ''Ursui 



