CHAPTER IX. 



THE HIMALAYAN BLACK BEAR. 



Ursus Tibetanus. 



Generally throughout the hills — Kdld Bhdlu — Rich. In Kashmir — Hdrpat. 



The Himalayan Black Bear is not, as its specific name would seem to imply, a dweller 

 at very high altitudes. It is doubtful, indeed, whether it is found in Thibet at all ; certainly 

 those parts of that country with which I am acquainted are totally unsuited to its habits, 

 and if banished to them it would probably starve. 



This Black Bear is to be met with all along the southern slopes of the Himalayan Range, 

 from its very skirts up to an elevation of about 12,000 feet. Being an essentially forest- 

 loving animal, it probably seldom ascends above the last mentioned elevation ; and it does 

 not, like the Snow Bear, delight in digging for roots on the grassy slopes immediately below 

 the snow line. 



The Himalayan Black Bear is, as a rule, a considerably larger and heavier animal than 

 the Indian Black Bear {Ursus labiatus), with which it has frequently been confounded ; but I 

 know of no animal in which individuals vary so much in size. To judge by appearances, 

 the Himalayan species must go on increasing in bulk for many years, a very old male being 

 sometimes, I should say, double the weight of a middle-aged female. The color is a deep 

 glossy black, with a white V-shaped mark on the chest, and a white lower lip. In the winter, 

 the hair on the shoulders is considerably elongated, giving the appearance of a sort of hump. 

 The head is shorter and rounder than in most Bears, and the eyes are small. The claws are 

 short and stout, and are better adapted for climbing than for digging ; and consequently we 

 find that this Bear is very arboreal in its habits, and does not dig so much as either the Snow 

 Bear or the Indian Black Bear, whose claws are much more developed. The extreme length 

 of a full grown male may perhaps be stated as about seven feet. 



While the Snow Bear is comparatively a shy animal, living on the bare mountain tops 

 and content with simple fare, the Black Bear is a thorough gourmand, and shifts his quarters 

 so as to be within reach of the delicacies of the season, whatever they may be. In the forest 

 he will put up with roots, berries, acorns, scorpions, ants, or such other trifles as he may meet 

 with during his wanderings ; but as the various cereals and fruits ripen in the vicinity of the 

 villages, he takes up his abode in some well-wooded ravine or tangled copse within easy 

 reach of the fields and orchards, and plunders them regularly every night. Maize and buck- 



