( 32 ) 
THE HIMALAYAN BLACK BEAR. 
Ursus Torquatus or U. Thibetanus. Native names : Blialoo, Beech , Hind. ; 
Earput, Kashmir ; Hingbong , Nepal ; Dom, Bhutia ; Sona , Lepcha ; Musa-bhurma, 
Assam ; Wek-won , Burmese. 
Habitat. —Throughout the Himalayan forests with the frontier of Persia as 
its western and Assam as its eastern limits. 
Period of gestation. —Six months. The young, usually two, are born in the 
spring, and are blind for some time. 
Description. —Moderate size, hair of medium length, no under-fur, claws 
short, strong, curved and black, the colour is uniformly black with an inverted 
white horse-shoe mark on the chest and white on the chin. It subsists chiefly 
on fruit, grain and roots and honey, and is a good climber. It also kills sheep, 
goats and deer, and occasionally feeds on carrion. It hibernates partially. It is 
very savage, and will charge home when wounded ; its sight and hearing are 
sharp and its powers of scent remarkable; it covers the ground rapidly, and is 
an excellent swimmer. 
Measurements. —From 4 ft. 8 ins. to 5 ft. o ins., from nose to rump , weight, 
200 to 300 lbs. Very fat bears have been known to scale up to 450 lbs. 
