256 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM 



stand, eaten by the mother, and the remaining one did not long 

 survive. 



BBOWN BEAK. All the members of the Bear family present a 

 striking resemblance to one another if exception be made of the 

 handsome Polar Bear last under review. The fur is coarse and long, 

 thick and shaggy in those beasts which inhabit the colder regions. 

 Those kinds which resort to hot countries have shorter and thinner 

 fur, a thick coat not being so essential as in the case of the Bears 

 which inhabit cold climates. 



Brown or black is the prevailing colour of all the Bears, but in 

 some a white collar is present on the throat. The black coloration 

 is most interesting for the reason that it "is a feature unknown in 

 any other group of Carnivores, and is, indeed, rare among mammals 

 in general." 



Passing by the Isabelline Bear (Fig. 201) with the remark that it 

 is closely related to the Brown Bear and a resident of the Hima- 

 layas, we may^ before dealing with the Japanese, Malayan and 

 Sloth Bears, devote attention to the Brown Bear, which deserves 

 recognition in view of the fact that it is most typical of the whole 

 family, and the commonest of them all. 



The Brown Bear varies a great deal in colour, various shades of 

 brown being forthcoming in different races. This has resulted in 

 several so-called species being established, but these are, at best, 

 simply local races of the species now under consideration. 



The Brown Bear has a wide distribution, for "its range extends 

 throughout almost the whole of Europe, particularly Russia, 

 Scandinavia, Central Europe, the Pyrenees and the Balkan Penin- 

 sula; in Asia it is found throughout Siberia to the shores of the 

 Pacific; and it also inhabits the colder regions of North America." 



It is interesting to notice that evidence has been collected which 

 proves that the Brown Bear was an inhabitant of the British Isles 

 in the eighth century, and, before this, when the Romans held 

 undisputed sway in this country, this species was used by them 

 wherewith to fight in the arena. The extinct Cave Bear (Ursus 

 spelceus) was a different species, for it was a gigantic beast whose 

 remains have been found "in such profusion in the caverns of 

 Europe, and less commonly in the brick-earths and other superficial 

 deposits." In the olden days this huge creature was, we are 

 informed, "a contemporary of the Mammoth and early human 

 inhabitants of Europe," and one wonders at this time of day how 



