432 MAMMALIA. 



One curious detail in the physiology of the Bear is the extraordi- 

 nary smallness of the young at birth, when compared with the bulk 

 of the parents, for they are not larger than rats. At the age 

 of five years they are able to reproduce their kind. The dura- 

 tion of their life has not been positively ascertained. Tschudi 

 relates that a Bear was kept at Berne for forty-seven years, and 

 that a female had young at the age of thirty-one years. 



The Collared Bear and the American Black Bear being some- 

 what peculiar in their nature and habits, we will furnish a few 

 details, so as to give an idea of their mode of life. 



The Ringed, Collared, or Siberian Bear owes its name to a 

 large white ring which traverses its shoulders and fades away 

 on the chest. This characteristic, however, is not possessed of 

 any scientific value, for in youth many of this family show 

 it more or less. The Siberian Bear is much more formidable 

 than the European variety. In the gloomy and cold countries 

 which it inhabits, the vegetation is altogether insufficient to satisfy 

 its appetite ; it must therefore, from sheer necessity, fall back 

 upon some kind of animal food. It will also feed on fish, which 

 it catches cleverly, and on carcasses thrown on the seashore. 

 It hunts the Reindeer, and will, even without provocation, 

 attack man. The inhabitants of Kamtschatka wage a war of 

 extermination against this animal. 



The American Black Bear, on the contrar)', is naturally one 

 of the least offensive animals. It has little taste for flesh, — even 

 when hungry, if a choice is offered between animal food and fruit, 

 it does not hesitate in selecting the vegetable substance. It swims 

 well, and is fond of fish, which it catches skilfully. It seldom 

 attacks Man, unless previously provoked by his assaults ; as a rule, 

 it prefers seeking safety in flight. It principally makes its abode 

 in the hollows of firs and pines, selecting in preference those 

 holes which are the highest. Under these circumstances, the Ame- 

 ricans capture it by setting fire to the foot of the tree. This 

 animal is hunted with great activity, not only to put an end to 

 its depredations in the corn-fields, but also for the sake of its flesh, . 

 fat, and fur, which latter is used for many purposes. The hams 

 of the American Bear, when salted and smoked, have deservedly 

 a high reputation both in the United States and Europe. 



The second American species, the Grizzly Bear ( Ursus horri- 



