52 



THE STORY OF THE BEAR. 



greater being their speed. The weight of a large and fat Polar bear is 

 estimated at from 600 to 700 pounds. 



In the Hudson's Bay district, the female bears proceed to their winter 

 hibernation for the purpose of producing their young at the end of Sep- 

 tember or beginning of October, and return in March, April, or May. The 

 hibernation always takes place some distance inland, and the males accom- 

 pany their consorts to their resting places, after which they come back to the 

 coast, where they hunt throughout the winter. Generally two cubs are 

 produced at a birth, but the number may be sometimes diniinished to one, 

 and occasionally increased to three. 



THE BLACK BEAR OF THE HIMALAYA MOUNTAINS 



THE HIMALAYAN BLACK BEAR. 



With the black bear of the Himalaya we come to a very different animal, 

 readily recognized by the white chevron or inverted crescent on the chest, 

 from which it takes its scientific title, and which stands out in marked con- 

 trast to the jetty black of the remainder of the fur. This species does not 

 attain by any means such large dimensions as the brown or grizzly bear; the 

 length from the tip of the snout to the root of the tail usually averaging from 

 about 4f to 5I feet, although one specimen has been recorded measuring 

 6 feet 5 inches. 



