yb a hand-book of the management of animals 



Length of life in captivity. 

 A specimen lived from March 1886 to November 1887. 



Treatment in health. 



Housing. — A polar bear is one of those animals which should 

 never be acquired for exhibition in this climate. The animal here re- 

 ferred to was merely deposited by a dealer who had sent it to this 

 country for sale, and every device that could possibly be adopted to 

 mitigate its sufferings was tried. It was placed in one of the coolest 

 dens of the Carnivora House, and a bath was especially built for its com- 

 fort. During the hot weather fifteen seers of ice were daily given, 

 which it enjoyed very much, often crouching upon a large block, or 

 otherwise making the best use of it. 



Food. — Its food consisted of milk, bread and biscuits in the morning 

 and about three pounds of fat mutton in the evening. Fish and live 

 pigeons were also occasionally given. 



Transport. — Any remark on this head is perhaps unnecessary. 



Treatment in sickness. 



This animal after having been about a month in the garden became 

 subject to rather extensive superficial ulceration of the fore parts of its 

 body, involving the ears and upper front limbs. This originated in a 

 slight abrasion which it inflicted upon itself while rubbing its shoulder 

 and ear on a large piece of wood. So rapid was the progress of the 

 disease, that within three days the whole front part of the body became 

 one mass of superficial ulcer. While being treated for the ulcer, the 

 right ear suppurated and became full of maggots. Fortunately every- 

 thing soon yielded to the persistent use of a weak solution of corrosive 

 sublimate. 



Observations on its habits. 



This animal had a peculiar habit of constantly sliding backwards 

 on the smooth wet floor of its den — some relic probably of its way in 

 icy regions. 



(106) THE BEOWN BEAE. 



(UESUS ARCTOS— Linn.) 



Hindi — Barf-ka-rinch. 



Both the European and the Himalayan forms of brown bear have 

 been exhibited in the garden. The only difference that has been 

 observed is that of size, the Himalayan form being smaller than the 

 European variety ; the former is also lighter in colour than the latter, but 

 the shades of colour vary a great deal in both. The fur of the European 

 variety appears to be much more shaggy than in the Himalayan 

 bear. Both have longish fur on the shoulder, forming a bushy tuft and 

 giving the appearance of a hump. 



