80 MOUNTAIN FAUNAS 



northern forests extends in a special variety, or species 

 {Lynx isahellina), into the plateau of Tibet, where it 

 shows some adaptations to rocky and barren country, 

 instead of to forest-covered ground. The Indian wild 

 dog (Canis deccanensis) shows a similar extension of 

 habitat from the forests of India into the wastes of 

 Tibet. It is a social animal, the packs hunting down 

 wild sheep, antelopes, &c. In the Himalayas and Tibet 

 also, the common fox is replaced by a variety with 

 thick fur and a very large brush. 



We come next to the bears, of which several occur in 

 mountain regions. Thus the Himalayas and Tibet have 

 special varieties of the brown bear, which, like bears in 

 general, is very resistant to cold on account of the 

 thickness of its coat. Its very indiscriminate appetite 

 also makes it possible for it to exist on many different 

 kiads of ground. The Atlas Mountains have a closely 

 related form, and in the Rocky Mountains the large 

 and powerful grizzly bear {Ursus horribilis) occurs at 

 considerable elevations, though also descending to the 

 plain. In the wooded regions of the Himalayas occurs 

 the black bear [Ursus torquatus), chiefly a vegetable 

 feeder and an excellent climber, which in the Hima- 

 layas does not voluntarily quit the forest. It is not 

 known in Tibet, and differs from most bears in the 

 short and thia coat. The necessary resistance to cold 

 is apparently obtained by the great oiliness of the skin, 

 especially in autumn, when the animal is very fat — 

 a means of providing for the winter time of scarcity. 

 The Andes of South America contain another mountain 

 bear, in the shape of the spectacled bear {Ursus 

 ornatus). Africa south of the Sahara has no bear. 



That forested region of Eastern Tibet which lodges 

 the Tibetan macaque and the Tibetan langur has still 



