172 



THE MALAY PROVINCE 



which ranges from Chittagong to Borneo, and likewise extends into the Sze-chuan 

 province of western China. This is a very small species, apparently never 

 attaining a greater length than 4| feet, the tail measuring about 2 inches. It is 

 specially characterised by its short and rounded skull. The fur is short and 

 coarse, the claws are curved, the ears are small, and the tongue is very long. The 

 general colour of the fur is black shading to brown, becoming whitish on the 

 muzzle and chin, and round the e}^es. On the throat is a pale-coloured gorget, 

 the broad extremities of this often coalescing to form a large patch, the end of 

 which tapers and is continued down the body. Very little is known of the habits 

 of this bear in the wild state, although it is comparatively common in menageries. 

 It seems to be a thoroughly forest-animal, and an excellent climber, living chiefly 

 on fruits, but preying upon mammals and birds when opportunity offers, and 



HIMALAYAN PANDA. 



probably also feeding on insects and their larvae, while it evidently has a liking 

 for honey. 



Himalayan That very remarkable mammal, the Himalayan panda (A^lurus 



Panda. fulgens), which, together with the short-tailed panda of Sze-chuan 

 forms a special subfamily of the raccoons, inhabits the south-eastern Himalaya at an 

 altitude of 6500 to 11,000 feet. It does not occur west of Nepal, but is distributed 

 through the mountains north of Assam and into Yunnan. It has a broad rounded 

 head, circular pupils to the eyes, which are set well forward, large ears, stout 

 limbs, with the feet thickly covered with hair on the under side, long, sharp, 

 curved, partially retractile claws, and a long ringed tail. The length of the body 

 is about 24 inches, and the tail measures about 19 inches. The coat is long and 

 thick, with woolly under-fur ; the colour on the back, head, and tail is bright rufous, 

 but the under-parts and inner sides of the limbs are blackish. The face and lower 

 lip are white, except for a reddish stripe extending over the eyes down to the 



