43 8 EASTERN EUROPE 



all bears the female is smaller than the male, less clumsily built, with the features 

 less coarse and the fore-quarters not so powerfully developed. The coat also varies, 

 even in bears of the same country ; in winter it is long, close, and soft; in summer 

 shorter, thinner, and darker, and on the lower part of the body generally woolly, 

 but never without some brown. In Transylvania are found spotted, black, brown, 

 brownish yellow, and greyish bears. The peasants distinguish between the large 

 nearly black bear, with valuable fur, and the short, low, broad-headed and short- 

 muzzled entirely brown bear. The colour generally varies from very light to very 

 dark brown ; but many bears are almost cream-coloured on some parts of their 

 body, others are almost black, many chestnut-coloured, while others, on account of 

 the white tips to the hairs, appear of a silvery hue. Young bears have in most cases 

 a white, or at least a light, band round the neck, which runs along the front part 

 of the back, and on the top of the neck is forked, the first branch extending to 

 half an inch behind the ear, while the other runs along the back and curves at the 

 end towards the front. This marking is also subject to variation; the collar round 

 the neck is seldom closed, some young individuals do not possess it at all, while 

 some of the fully grown retain it till death. The brown bear is now rare in 

 Europe, and can only be observed in numbers in a few districts, one of which is 

 Transylvania, where twenty-five to forty bears are killed every year. In many 

 parts of Russia bears are quite as numerous, averaging in the Rokitno marshes 

 one to each square mile of country. These marshes form one of the largest 

 swamps in Europe, comprising several hundred square miles in the south of the 

 Government of Minsk, and being traversed by vast morasses of the wildest 

 character. Only in winter do the Rokitno bears retire to drier ground. Tran- 

 sylvanian bears, on the contrary, live all the year in the forests, and never stay 

 very long among the swamps. Their favourite haunts are among oaks and beeches, 

 where one would expect to find woodcocks rather than bears. In summer they 

 take up their quarters among rocks, or in trees on the mountains. 



In spite of their clurusy, heavy build, bears are very active, leaping well, and 

 climbing with ease. Old bears only climb trees with strong branches; smooth 

 trunks offering difficulties even to young animals, although trees with rough bark 

 are easily ascended. In climbing slender trunks bears embrace them with the 

 fore-legs, pressing their breasts hard to the stem, and planting the naked soles of 

 the hind-paws firmly on the bark. Should the trunk be thick, they can support 

 themselves by their claws, and on horizontal branches are able to walk to and fro 

 with perfect ease, or even to stand upright. When turning round on a branch, in 

 the upright posture, they grip a higher one with the fore-legs, or even hang their 

 whole weight on this support. If there is no higher branch within reach, they lie 

 down full-length and swing the body round. On the ground bears move the two 

 legs of the same side simultaneously, thus causing their ungainly walk : neverthe- 

 less, their long legs enable them to progress rapidly. In deep snow they lift the 

 fore-legs very high, and put them down quite together, one almost above the 

 other. When the snow is so deep that they cannot withdraw their legs, they push 

 through with the chest as if swimming, at the same time throwing up the snow 

 with their paws. 



When walking slowly, these animals hold their claws close together, but 



