i8o FLESH-EATERS OF THE LAND 



FAMILY URSID2E (BEARS). 



The Ursine family (Lat., ursus, a bear) consists of bulky 

 animals with thick fur, the largest beasts of prey in the 

 Northern Hemisphere. All of them are plantigrade and 

 markedly deliberate in gait. On each foot are five toes, 

 furnished with strong curved claws. Though the claws are 

 often five inches long over the outside curve, being non- 

 retractile they get worn down at their tips through coming 

 into contact with the ground ; thus in conflict with another 

 thickly-haired animal a Bear can inflict but little injury. 

 Most of the Bears are admirable climbers of trees, and 

 some species seem to pass most part of their existence 

 among the branches. 



The Bears possess the teeth of the true carnivores, differ- 

 ing technically from their nearest relations only by having 

 two molar teeth on each side of the upper and three in 

 the lower jaw. The canine teeth are large and strong, but 

 not nearly so prominent as in the cat and dog tribes. 

 There is a marked difference in the jaws from those of the 

 Carnivora generally. The Bear's jaws are not limited to a 

 scissor-blade movement ; it can work them from side to 

 side, and chew to a pulp roots, &c., which it could not 

 possibly swallow whole. Except in the case of one species, 

 Bears are not strictly carnivorous, for in addition to animal 

 food they eat largely of roots and fruits, and in particular 

 they are fond of honey ; but even the Polar Bear, whose 

 diet is chiefly animal food, and the Sloth Bear, which is a 

 vegetarian, have exactly the same kind of teeth and similar 

 jaw movement. 



In cold regions, from October to March some of the 

 female Bears hibernate in hollow trees, caves, or collections 

 of branches and moss, during which time birth is given to 

 the young ; the males and younger females do not take 

 an unbroken rest. Though most Bears do not, as a rule, 

 molest human beings, it is best to give them a wide berth 

 when, gaunt and hungry, they wake up from their long 

 fast. 



Compared to the cats the Bears are clumsy and shuffling 

 in movement, their coats are more sombre, and in teeth, 



