510 TRAVELS IN THE EAST INDIAN ARCHIPELAGO. 



ever, told me of a combat between two other rivals 

 of these forests that is more remarkable. When he 

 was Gontroleur at a small post, a short distance north 

 of this place, a native came to him one morning, and 

 asked, if he should find a dead tiger and bring its 

 head, whether he would receive the usual bounty 

 given by the government. The Resident assured 

 him that he would, and the native then explained 

 that there had evidently been a battle between two 

 tigers in the woods, near his kampong, for all had 

 heard their howls and cries, and they were fighting 

 so long that, he had no doubt, one was left dead on 

 the spot. A party at once began a hunt for the ex- 

 pected prize, and soon they found the battle had not 

 been between two tigers, as they had supposed, but 

 between a tiger and a bear, and that both were dead. 

 The bear was still hugging the tiger, and the tiger 

 had reached round, and fastened his teeth in the side 

 of the bear's neck. The natives then gathered some 

 rattan, wound it round them, just as they were, strung 

 them to a long bamboo, and brought them to the 

 office of the Resident, who gave a full account of this 

 strange combat in his next official report. 



These bears are popularly called " sun " bears, 

 Helarctos Malayanus^ from their habit of basking 

 in the hot sunshine, while other bears slink away 

 from the full light of day into some shady place. 

 The Resident at Bencoolen had a young cub that was 

 very tame. Its fur was short, fine, and glossy. It 

 was entirely black, except a crescent-shaped S23ot of 

 white on its breast, which characterizes the species. 



Governor Raffles, while at Bencoolen, also had a 



