60 ANIMALS IN MENAGERIES. 



require ten or twelve days to recover their lost fat. The 

 number of cubs varies from one to five. 



The geographic range of the black bear is stated by 

 Dr. Richardson to extend over all the wooded districts 

 of America, from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and from 

 Carolina to the shores of the Arctic Sea. Authors men- 

 tion bears as inhabiting Persia; but whether, if such be 

 the fact, they belong to this species, may reasonably be 

 doubted. 



There are several varieties of this animal, which sys- 

 tematists have fancied were distinct species. Thus, the 

 Cinnamon bear of the fur traders (an individual of 

 which was in the Tower menagerie) is considered, even 

 by the Indians, as an accidental variety; and the same 

 may be said of the yellow bear, or llrsus luteolus, of 

 Carolina. A third is the Ours gulaire of M. GeofFroy 

 St. Hillaire, which has a white throat, analogous, as 

 Dr. Richardson remarks, to the white collar which many 

 of the European brown bears exhibit when young. A 

 fourth variety is mentioned by M. Cuvier, both sexes of 

 which were in the Paris menagerie. The general colour 

 was rich shining black, but the muzzle was deep brown 

 above, and greyish fawn-colour on the sides ; there was 

 also a small fawn-coloured spot in front of the eye. 

 What appears to prove these latter, more especially, to 

 be mere varieties, is the fact of another, which had the 

 fur a httle more brown and less smooth, and the spot 

 near the eye almost obsolete ; while a fourth, in the 

 same collection, was of the finest black, without any ap- 

 pearance of the spot. The muzzle of this latter was 

 brown above, and the breast was marked with two 

 whitish lines. 



Regarding the Ursus luteolus, or yellow bear of 

 Carolina, major Smith notices some particulars which 

 must not be passed over in this place, since they go very 

 far to make us suspect the probability of its being a 

 distinct race. This naturalist had an opportunity of 

 comparing a living specimen with another of the common 

 black bear, both being in a menagerie at New York. 



