20 ON THE DISPERSAL OF SEEDS BY MAMMALS 



One kept in captivity ate papayas (Carica papaya) and Ram- 

 bais (Baccanrea motleyana, Hook.) swallowing the seeds and 

 passing them apparently uninjured. 



UrsidcB. — The common bear {Helarctos nialaya^ius) is a 

 nocturnal fruit-eater, and is particularly found of Durians. 

 The fruit of the common Durian {Durio zibethiiius) when 

 ripe falls entire upon the ground, and when found by the bear, 

 is torn to pieces and the seeds scattered about. The bear, 

 however, also ascends the tree as well and helps itself to the 

 Durians, which grow, as is well known, on the thick branches, 

 where it can get at them. 



In the wild Durian {D. Oxleyamis) the fruit splits on the 

 tree and lets the seeds fall. In one wild Durian which I saw 

 at Pekan, the flesh of the seed was pink and the capsule 

 sjplit so as to show the bright colour. It grew in a part of 

 the country where there were no bears and was probably dis- 

 persed by some such bird as the hornbill. 



I gave a bear a wild Durian {Diirio oblongtis) to eat. It tore 

 it to bits with its paws and ate the aril of the seed and a good 

 deal of the placentas, but would not eat the seed and spit it out 

 so that it fell some way off. Another bear seeing the seed 

 fall bit it, but did not like the taste and would not eat it. There 

 was no particular taste to the part that the bear ate, though 

 it was very eager to eat it, nor had the rejected seeds any 

 taste that seemed objectionable to me. 



I will here digress a little to compare the several forms of 

 fruit of the DurioftecB showing their various modifications and 

 their meaning with respect to dispersal. 



In the genus Durio, the fruit is a thorny capsule, dull brown 

 or green, and the seeds have a white or pink edible aril. 



Durio zibethi7ius, L. The fruits are borne on the strong 

 branches, on short stalks, and are strongly scented so as to be 

 easily found at night, and are dispersed by the bear, a heavy 

 nocturnal animal. 



D. oblo?tgus, Mast. The fruits resemble those of zibethinus, 

 but are not scented. They open on the tree, and evenutally 

 drop the seed. They are probably dispersed by birds, as the 



