Chap. I.] 



BEARS. 



23 



Oriental custom of the women resorting to the wells was 

 altogether suspended, as it was a common occurrence 

 to find one of these animals in the water, unable to 

 climb up the yielding and slippery soil, down which its 

 thirst had impelled it to slide during the night. 



Although the structure of the bear shows him to be 

 naturally omnivorous, he rarely preys upon flesh in 



IN D TAN BEAR. 



Ceylon, and his solitary habits whilst in search of honey 

 and fruits render him timid and retiring. Hence he 

 evinces alarm on the approach of man or other animals, 

 and, unable to make a rapid retreat, his panic, rather 

 than any vicious disposition, leads him to become an 

 assailant in self-defence. But so furious are his assaults 

 under such circumstances that the Singhalese have a 

 terror of his attack greater than that created by any 



c 4 



