126 



POTOLAR OFFICIAL GUIDE. 



SPECTACLED BEAR. 



children who were disrespectful to the prophet Elisha. 

 Bears of this species are often trained to dance, and per- 

 form various tricks at command, and usually lead very 

 miserable lives at the hands of gypsies and other bear 

 specialists of nomadic habits. 



The Hairy-Eared Bear, (Ursus piscator), a species very 

 rarely seen in captivity, is represented by two fine speci- 

 mens from the Altai Mountains, Central Asia. This animal 

 is sometimes called, on account of its peculiar light brown 

 color, the Isabella Bear. Its more correct name has been 

 bestoA\ r ed on account of its large and very hairy ears. It 

 inhabits northeastern Asia, as far southwestward as the 

 Altai Mountains. The fine pair exhibited were presented 

 to the Society by Mr. Carl Hagenbeck. 



The Himalayan Black Bear, (Ursus torquatus), is the 

 handomest of the four living species of black bears, and 

 can easily be identified anywhere by three distinct char- 

 acters, neither of which is possessed by any other black bear. 

 They are, a pure white chin, long side-whiskers c-n the jaws 

 and sides of the neck and very large ears. Up to this date 

 the geographic range of this very interesting animal has 

 been recorded as extending from eastern Persia through 

 Beluchistan, Afghanistan, Assam, and South China to For- 

 mosa; but the three specimens exhibited were taken in 

 northern Japan, where the existence of this species seems to 

 be established beyond question. 



