THE MALAYAN SUN-BEAR. 



405 



The fur of this animal is particularly fine and glossy, and the hair is shorter than in 

 the generality of the Bear tribe. The color of its fur is a very deep black, with the 

 exception of a large semi-lunar shaped patch of white on the breast, and a yellowish- 

 white patch on the snout and upper jaw, which afford a striking and curious contrast 

 to the uniformly black color of the fur. The lips and tongue of this Bear are extremely 

 flexible, and are capable of being prolonged to an almost incredible extent. It is 

 supposed that the great length of its tongue, and the -exceedingly flexible power of 

 that organ, are intended for the purpose of enabling the animal to obtain the honey 

 from the nest of the wild bee, by insinuating its lithe tongue into the apertures of the 

 hive, and licking the sweet food from the waxen treasuries. 



The head of the Bruang is rather thick, and the neck is singularly powerful in com- 

 parison to the size of the head. The eyes are very small, and the iris is of a rather pale 

 lilac color, and tolerably lively in its appearance. It is not a large animal, measuring 

 when adult only four feet six inches in length, but it it is extremely powerful in propor- 

 tion to its size, being able to grasp and tear from the ground the strongly-rooted 

 plantains of Borneo, which are so large that the Bear is hardly able to embrace them in 

 its grasp. The claws of the Bruang are extremely long. 



MALAYAN SUN-BEAR. Helarctos Malayan us. 



When in its wild state, it is almost entirely a vegetable eater, preferring fruit before 

 most articles of diet, and making great havoc among the tender shoots of the cocoa-nut 

 tree. In some parts of Sumatra, where the villages have been deserted, the cocoa-nut 

 groves have been entirely destroyed by the insatiate appetite of the Bruang. 



As it is easily tamed, it is frequently seen in a state of domestication, and is a very 

 amusing and gentle creature, associating freely with children, and earning by its uni- 

 formly quiet conduct the privilege of unrestricted liberty. Sir Stanford Raffles, who 

 possessed one of these Bears, permitted it to live in the nursery, and never was obliged 

 to chain, chastise, or otherwise punish the good-tempered animal. Being something 

 of an epicure, and often admitted to his master's table, the Bruang would refuse to eat any 

 fruit except mangosteens, or to drink any wine except champagne. It may seem remark- 

 able that a Bear should display any predilection for fermented liquids, and more so that 

 it should be so fastidious as to select champagne as the wine which it honored with its 



