CARN1VORA. 535 



The Bears are very generally distributed over the globe, 

 Australia alone having no representative of the family. The 

 common Brown Bear ( Ursus Arctos) was at one time an inhabit- 

 ant of this country, and also existed over the whole of Europe. 

 At the present day the Brown Bear is only found in the great 

 forests of the north of Europe and in Asia. It feeds on 

 roots, fruits, honey, insects, and, when it can obtain them, upon 

 other Mammals. It attains a great age, and hybernates during 

 the winter months. Very nearly allied to the Brown Bear is 

 the Black Bear of America ( Ursus Americanus). Both are of 

 some commercial value, being hunted for the sake of their skins, 

 fat, and tongues. A much larger American species is the 

 Grizzly Bear ( Ursus ferox\ found in many parts of the Ameri- 

 can continent. It is about twice as large as the ordinary 

 Bear, but it is said to subsist to a great extent upon vegetable 

 food, such as acorns. The most remarkable, however, of the 

 bears is the great White Bear (Thalassarctos maritimus], which 

 is exclusively a native of the Arctic regions. It is a very large 

 and powerful animal, the fur of which is quite white. The 

 paws are very long, and the soles of the feet are covered with 

 coarse hair, giving the animal a firm foothold upon the ice. 

 The Polar Bear differs from the other Ursida in being exclu- 

 sively carnivorous, since vegetable food would be wholly un- 

 attainable. It is as much at home in the water as on land, 

 and lives chiefly upon seals and fish, and upon the carcases 

 of Cetaceans. 



It is a singular fact that the bones of a bear the Ursus 

 spelmis or Cave Bear have been found in Britain and in many 

 parts of Europe, along with the bones of other Carnivora, such 

 as the Cave Lion and Cave Hyaena. The Ursus spelceus was 

 a larger and more powerful animal than even the Polar Bear, 

 and there can be no doubt that it existed in the earlier portion 

 of the human period. 



Nearly allied to the true bears are several small animals, of 

 which the Racoons (Procyoii), the Coati (Nasud), the Wah 

 (Ailurus\ and the Kinkajou (Cercoleptes) are the best known. 

 The Racoons are natives of tropical and northern America, 

 and have a decided external resemblance to the Bears. They 

 have tolerably long tails, however, and sharp muzzles. The 

 commonest species is the Procyon lotor of North America, which 

 derives its specific name from its habit of washing its food 

 before eating it. The place of the Racoon is taken in India 

 by the Wah (Ailurus fulgens), which inhabits northern Hindo- 

 stan. It is about the size of a large domestic cat, and is very 

 prettily coloured, being chestnut brown above, and black in- 



