BOTANIC GARDENS MENAGERIE. 157 



L. Sumatrana. 



The Malay otter. One full grown specimen of this otter 

 caught in Singapore was bought for a dollar. It however died 

 in a day or two, having doubtless been injured in capture. 

 Another specimen much younger was on deposit for a time, it 

 was quite tame and allowed itself to be handled. Like L. 

 cinerea it squeaked and squealed all day if it saw anyone it 

 thought might have something for it to eat. 



Ursid^:. 

 Ursus Malay anus- 



The Honey bear has often been kept in the gardens. 

 The finest was one known as " Jelebu " which was presented 

 by Sir Cecil Clementi Smith. He was very good-natured and 

 would play with anybody, allowing people to wrestle with him, 

 ride on his back or put their hands into his mouth, and never 

 putting forth his great strength so as to hurt. When he had a 

 female given him as a companion, his games with her were 

 much rougher. The two bears would seize each other's skin 

 in their mouths and pull so violently that one would not have 

 thought any skin would stand such rough treatment. He had 

 the greatest aversion to bullocks and especially when he first 

 came used to be perfectly rabid at the sight of one. Horses he 

 took no notice of. On several occasions he broke the chain or 

 collar by which he was attached and escaped at night, but he 

 was easily recaptured, though he had wandered to the further 

 end of the garden. A watchman whom he did not like turned 

 the light of his lantern on him and Jelebu rushed at him . He 

 ran towards the cage and gradually the - bear was got up to the 

 cage and put back again. But on later occasions when he got 

 out of his cage he never went far but merely rambled round 

 the other cages, climbed up a tree where he broke off some 

 branches and made a nest which he sat in for a minute or two, 

 and then came down again and was easily induced to return 

 to his cage with the offer of some bread, which he was very 

 fond of. When given anything liquid or juicy he always lay on 

 his back to swallow it so that the juice of sugarcane for instance 

 ran down his throat- On one occasion some sailors gave him 



R. A. Soc., No. 46, 1906. 



