566 Correspondence. 



in the snowy region of the Himalayas, and occurs on both sides of 

 the range, although Dr. Jameson says not ; our information on this 

 point is, however, positive, and Mr. Hodgson has likewise stated the 

 same fact, although, as he observes, it clings to the mountains and 

 does not descend to the plains of Thibet. It is a large and powerful 

 animal, feeding principally on roots, especially the wild rhubarb, 

 which it digs up with great ease and rapidity; it has no idea of 

 climbing, for which the straightness of its claws is ill adapted. It is 

 by no means averse to flesh, less so by far than the Thibet bear, 

 though all the Himalayan bears may be said to exist principally on 

 vegetable substances ; snakes, lizards, and even carrion are however 

 never despised by them. 



The other three, we shall now proceed to notice. 



In the first place it is necessary to observe, in contradiction of Dr. 

 Jameson's erroneous statement, that " the black bear or bhallow," 

 is not the " Ursus Thibet anus ;" in the second place it is not found 

 above Rajpore ; and in the third place, there are no less than three 

 distinct species of " black bears" inhabiting the tracts between the 

 Doon and the Snows. Of the existence of two out of these three, 

 Dr. Jameson appears to be perfectly ignorant, and therefore, as in 

 the instance of the wild sheep, he doubles them all up under one 

 name. This is certainly the shortest, though not the most approved 

 method of treating the Natural History of a country ! 



The " Ursus Thibetanus" or " Beech" of the hill tribes, occurs, 

 properly speaking, only among the wooded tracts of the interior, from 

 the snow downwards, but it seldom or never approaches the southern 

 limit of its range, or outer hills, except during the intensity of winter, 

 when the inclemency of the season above, drives it down to seek 

 a more genial climate ; it usually appears on the outer range during 

 the months of November, December, and the early part of January, 

 in order to feast upon the acorns, wild pears, and berries which are 

 then abundant, (the animal being essentially a tree bear, climbing 

 fearlessly and with the greatest ease) but after this period it again 

 retires towards the interior. It is neither a resident at Rajpore, 

 at the foot of the outer range, nor in the Doon, but is supplanted 

 in those localities by a totally distinct and well known species, 

 namely, " the black bear or bhallow," the " Ursus labiatus" or thick- 



