20 



CLASS M A M M A L I A. 



ORDER S A R C O P H A G A. 



climb, mounts up with them into the upper part of a tree, and there re- 

 mains through the winter, by which her offspring are secure from the 

 attacks of wolves or other animals. The native tribes of North America 

 have great veneration for the Bear only attack it after certain ceremonies, 

 and even when dead make an exculpatory speech for the violence they 

 have committed in destroying it 



The Grisly Bear (U. Cinereus) is the largest of the genus, measuring 

 nine feet in length, and even more, and said to exceed eight hundred pounds 

 in weight. This species inhabits the Rocky Mountains, and plains to 

 their eastward, extending as high as 61 3 N. lat., and perhaps higher; 

 southward they are found as low as Mexico ; but, according to Drummond, 

 they are most numerous in the woody districts on the eastern base of the 

 Rocky Mountains. The Grisly Bears are carnivorous, but also occasionally 

 eat vegetables, and are very fond of the roots of some species of Psoralea 

 and Hedysanan, and also the fruits of the bird cherry, choke cherry, and 

 Hippophce Canadensis. The pregnant females and young animals hybernate 

 in dens, of which Mackenzie mentions one ten feet in width, five feet high, 

 and six long ; but the old males often come out during winter in search of 

 food, and, from their great weight, their footsteps are often marked by the 

 cracking and sinking of the crust of snow to the extent of a yard or more 

 around the spot on which they have trod. Their ferocity is very great, 

 and they are so powerful as to be able to drag the carcase of a buffalo, 

 weighing about a thousand pounds, to a considerable distance. 



The Juggler Bear (U. Labiatus) measures nearly five feet in length, and 

 two feet eight inches in height at the shoulders ; the lips long and thick, 

 of which the lower is longest, and capable of projection, retraction, and 

 lateral motion. This great length of the lips especially, together with the 

 presumed deficiency of the incisive teeth, led Illiger to form of this species 

 his genus Prochiltis. The general colour is deep shining black, excepting 

 the snout, and a spot above each eye, which are yellowish-white ; upon 

 the chest is a V-shaped patch of the same colour, the branches of which 

 rise up towards the neck. This animal is found in the sand-hills at Patna 

 in Bengal, and also in the mountains of Silhet, usually in pairs, with one 

 or two cubs, which, when in danger, mount on their dam's back. In the 

 Mahratta country it is known by the name Assail ; and, being more intel- 

 ligent and docile, is educated and carried about for the amusement of the 

 populace by the jugglers ; hence the specific name applied to it by Fred. 

 Cuvier. It burrows with its claws, and lives in caverns ; feeds on white 

 ants, also on honey, rice, and the fruit of the palm, Borassus Flabellifonms. 

 In confinement it appeared to be gentle and good-natured; but when 

 irritated, uttered a short abrupt roar, ending in a whining tone, expressive 

 of impatience. It was moderately lively, and had a habit of turning itself 

 frequently round, as if for amusement, like a dog about lying down to sleep. 



The Malay Bear (U. Malayanus) is three feet eight inches in length ; 

 head short, conical, very gradually attenuated, obtuse, and broad between 

 the ears. According to Blainville, the skull of this species is as round 

 as that of a cat. General colour jet black, excepting the muzzle, before 

 the eyes, which is dusky-grey, and a white semilunar mark, with its 

 branches extending on the sides of the chest. Is a native of Sumatra ; and 

 Sir Stamford Raffles says, " When taken young they become very tame. 

 One lived two years in my possession. He was brought up in the nursery 

 with the children ; and when admitted to my table, as was frequently the 

 case, gave a proof of his taste by refusing to eat any fruit but mangosteens, 

 or to drink any wine but champagne. The only time I ever knew him 

 out of humour was on an occasion when no champagne was forthcoming. 

 It was naturally of a playful and affectionate disposition, and it was never 

 found necessary to chain or chastise him." This species is known to the 

 Malays by the name of the Bruang. 



The Bornean Bear (U. Euryspilus) measures three feet nine inches in 

 length ; its skull, in comparison with that of other Bears, is of great size, 

 its contour above nearly hemispherical, and on the sides it expands ob- 

 liquely outwards. The gape of its mouth is considerable, and the animal 

 frequently opens its jaws widely as if yawning, thrusting out its long, 

 narrow, slender tongue to the length of a foot. The neck is short and 



thick ; the body cylindrical and bulky, abruptly rounded towards the stout 

 short thighs, whilst the anterior limbs are more long and slender. The 

 tail is about two inches in length, of which one-half consists of a tuft of 

 stiff hairs extending beyond the bone. The claws are very long, strongly 

 arched, somewhat grooved beneath, rounded above, narrow at the base, 

 and gradually tapering towards their tips, which are transversely truncated. 

 The fur is short, closely applied to the skin, and rather rigid, with scanty 

 down at the base ; very short on the forehead, and gradually rising to the 

 crown, where they are dense, nearly erect, and very soft. The general 

 colour is glossy deep black. This species is a native of Borneo. 



The Polar Bear (U. Maritimus) is from seven to eight and a half feet in 

 length, and from four feet three to nine inches in height. It is charac- 

 terised by the narrowness and flatness of its skull, from which the forehead 

 and profile of the face run in a nearly straight line to the thick muzzle 

 (Plate 5). The fur, which is yellowish-white, is very thick, long, fine, 

 and woolly on the hinder parts, belly, and legs, but short and even upon 

 the head, neck, and upper part of the back ; the soles are almost com- 

 pletely covered with long hair, and the thick short black claws are but 

 slightly curved. The naked extremity of the muzzle, the margins of the 

 eyelids, and the tongue black ; the lips purplish-black, and the inside of 

 the mouth pale violet ; eyes brown. The Polar Bear is a native of the 

 Arctic Regions, and has been found in higher latitudes than any other 

 quadruped, having been seen by Sir Edward Parry as high as 82 N. lat. 

 They descend southwards as low as the 55th parallel. The Polar Bear 

 never resorts to the woods, as do other Bears, except when it accidentally 

 loses its way in the fog, but constantly lives upon the sea-coast or upon 

 the ice-fields, with which it is not unfrequently drifted far from land, and 

 thus often transported from Greenland to Iceland and Norway, where it 

 commits great ravages amongst the flocks. It is fearless of cold, and seems 

 indeed to enjoy itself most when the cold is most severe. It swims, 

 makes long leaps in the water, and dives extremely well. The Polar Bear 

 is carnivorous, and feeds either on the floating carcases of dead whales and 

 fish, or on living seals and other marine animals, and even on the Walrus. 

 Their scent is very fine, and they are often attracted from a great distance 

 by the smell of turning kreng or refuse of whale blubber. Both Graham 

 and Hearne say that the he Bear wanders about the marshes and adjacent 

 parts till November, and then goes out to sea, and preys upon seals, whilst 

 the female retires under the declivity of a rock or the foot of a bank, not 

 unfrequently thirty miles from the sea, where the snow soon drifts over 

 her to a great depth ; a small hole, however, being left at the dome of the 

 den for the admission of air. There she remains from December to March 

 without food, and about Christmas produces two cubs. They are led 

 down to the sea-side by their dam to feed on seals and sea-weed ; and when 

 tired, are safely borne upon their parent's back. In the course of the 

 summer they become very fat, as much as a hundred pounds of fat being 

 occasionally taken from a single beast. The Greenlanders feed on their 

 flesh, which is coarse and white, and has somewhat the flavour of mutton. 

 The skin is used for making seats, boots, shoes, and gloves, and the ten- 

 dons, when split, serve for sewing threads. 



There are also the Thibet Bear (U. Thibetamis), found in the mountains 

 of Nepaul and Sylhet ; and the Cordilleras Bear (U. Ornatus), found in 

 the Cordilleras, of which we can take no further notice in this place. 



PROCYON Raccoon. This genus, formerly included among the Bears, 

 are distinguished from them by the regular series of their teeth ; the an- 

 terior three molars, which in the Bears are of irregular size, at uiu'cjiial 

 distances, and often deciduous, being in the Raccoons placed regularly 

 behind each other, and gradually running from the form of cuspid into that 

 of the last three or true molar teeth. In this arrangement of the teeth 

 they resemble the Coatis (Nasua), but are distinguished from them by the 

 shortness of the muzzle, which is hardly at all moveable, by the shortness 

 of the head and its great width behind, and also by their short bushy tail. 

 Their limbs are slender, but the paws strong ; the fur on the body long, 

 thick, and loose, but on the head and limbs short. Two species only are 

 known, and both are from America. 



