936 MR. R. I. POCOCK ON THE FEET 
only a subspecies of it. At all events, the feet are the same in 
the two forms. 
Moreover, the feet of the Malayan Bear (Helarctos malayanus) 
agree in all essential respects with those of 7. thibetanus, except 
that the hairs in the depression behind the second, third, and 
fourth digital pads are much fewer in number, the integument 
being scantily furred, and thus approximating the naked con- 
dition of this area seen in Melursus. The Andean Bear (7. 
ornatus) also resembles 7’. thibetanus in the structure of its feet, 
except that the depression behind the digital pads is continuously 
and thickly hairy, even behind the pads of the first and fifth 
digits. 
Structural Adaptation of the Feet to Habits. 
The bionomical reason for the differences in the structure of 
the feet of existing Urside is obscure. The first thing to note 
is the rough correspondence between the hairiness and nakedness 
of the sole and the geographical latitudes inhabited by the 
species. The hairiest feet of all are found in the Arctic species 
(Thalarctos maritimus), and this feature is always assumed, 
probably correctly, to be a modification to obviate the likelihood 
of slipping on ice. But it must also be remembered that the 
haunts of this bear are treeless, and that this species is unable to 
climb. South of the range of the Polar Bear come the various 
races of Ursus arctos, of U. horribilis, and of U. americanus, 
which have larger pads on the fore and hind feet than in 
Thalarctos maritimus and the greater part, at all events, of the 
sole of the hind feet naked. Even the northern form of these 
species, by reason of their hibernation, are never abroad for any 
length of time when the cold is severe enough to cover the 
ground for weeks at a time under a continuous sheet of frozen 
snow. The countries they inhabit are forested, and both the 
Black and the Brown Bears are known to climb trees, The 
Grizzly does not climb—at all events, asa rule,—but he probably 
could do so, if necessary, though, on account of his greater bulk, 
not with such ease as the Black Bear and smaller representatives 
of the Brown Bear. Nevertheless, neither the Black Bear nor 
the Brown Bear seems to be so apt at climbing as the three 
naked-footed bears of the Old World, namely, the Himalayan, 
the Malayan, and the Sloth *; and living examples of these 
species have an obviously clumsier, more shufHing gait than the 
northern species, and this awkwardness of movement is due very 
largely, if not wholly, to the natural mturning of the fore feet. 
* I know nothing of the Andean Bear (U. ornatus) in this connection. Of the 
Himalayan Brown Bear (U. arctos isabellinus), Blanford says :—“ They can climb 
trees, but, in the Himalayas, at all events, rarely do so” ; of the Himalayan Bear, “it 
is more in the habit of climbing trees for fruit [than the Brown Bear], and is not 
infrequently found in fruit trees,” and of the Malayan species “this bear is a purely 
forest animal and an admirable climber,’ while his account of the Sloth Bear 
contains many references to its scansorial habits. 
