The story of the bear. 



47 



Their summer homes are in caves in the rocks; in the winter they pass 

 the day in the grass or bushes, or in the holes in the banks of ravines. At 

 night they roam in search of food, which consists ahnost entirely of fruits, 

 flowers, and insects, together with honey. In addition to beetles, voung 

 l)ees and honey the sloth bear is very fond of white ants. The power of 

 suction in this bear as well as expelling wind from its mouth are very great. 



On arriving at an anthill, the bear scrapes away with the fore-feet until 

 he reaches the large combs at the bottom of the galleries. He then with 

 violent pufTs dissipates the dust and crumbled particles of the nest, and sucks 



SLOTH BEAR EATING FRUIT. 



out the inhabitants of the comb by such forcible inhalations as to be heard 

 at two hundred yards' distance or more. Large larvae are in this way sucked 

 out from great depths under the soil. They occasionally rob birds' nests 

 and' devour the eggs. The sucking of the paw, accompanied by a drumming 

 noise when at rest, and especially after meals, is common to all bears, and 

 durmg the heat of the day they may often be heard humming and puf^ng 

 far down m caverns and fissures of rocks. 



Like the fox-bats and the palm-civets, the sloth bear often visits the ves- 



