Asiatic Beare.
Urflut collaris (F. Cuvier), the Siberian Bear, to the Brown Bear ((:raus Aretoe), and is at best a doubtful species. The hair in quality and colour is much the same with that of the Brown Bear, with the distinction of a large white collar which panes over the upper part of the back and the shoulders, and is completed upon the breast.
U. Thibctantu (Iltlarclos Tihciantm), the Tibet Bean—M. Duvancel discovered this species in the mountains of Sylhet, and Dr. Wallich found it in those of Nepaul. Tho Tibet Bullies the neck remarkably thick, and the head flattened, the forehead and muzzle forming Mumma a straight line, Tho care are of a largo size. Its clumsy limbs support a compact body, and the claws are comparatively weak. Its general colour is black ; but the lower lip is white, and there is a large mark of the same colour, somewhat in the forum of the letter Y, supposing the stem of the letter to be placed in the middle of the breast, and the forks to peas up in front of the :boulders. In bulk it is about " Our animal," says Dr. Horsfield, "is of a habit decidedly different from that of several species of Urses from the same part of the world, which have been recently added to the systematic catalogues, namely, the Crimea Thibetanus, the Crass 1 abiat us, and the Urans ilia yawls. All these have a jet-black fur, a somilunar mark of a white colour on the breast, and other peculiarities affording types of anb-genera, among which Prochilima and II &feeler have been defined. Our animal, on tl e contrary, appears to resemble tho European hears in its structure, as far at least as can be determined from the parts which have been preserved in the specimen. Among these, the claws afford the best means of comparison ; they are small, obtuse, and straight, while those of the Asiatic bears above mentioned are large, strongly curved, acute, and fitted for climbing." A living specimen of this species is now to be seen in the Zoological Gardens, lIcgent'a Park. 1 t is a native of the whole II imalayan range, and is so light-coloured as to have led to the supposition that it was another form of the White Bear.
Craws Syriactu, the Syrian Bean—The she-bear•s which came out of the wood, "and tare forty and two" of the mockery of Elishs. (2 King ii. 23, et seq.), are probably the first bears on record. There bears of Syria may be occasionally traced in subsequent history. Thus Matthew Pans, in his 'England,' relates how Godfrey (Dux Oodefridus), as ho was riding for recreation in a neighbouring wood during the siege of Antioch OW iock iota Minor-0a), saw a poor stranger, who was loaded with a bundle of dry wood, flying from an enraged bear, whereupon Godfrey gallantly went to the rescue, and the bear turning upon him he was unhorsed, the horse being wounded by the bear, and fought on foot, when, after a severe struggle, in which he received a most dangerous wound ("vulnus fere letiferum"), he buried his sword up to the hilt in his savage adversary, and killed him. The historian, in continuation, relates the great joy of the army at Godfrey's recovery. ('Hist. of England,' tom. ii. p. 34, folio, London, 1640.) the whole contour of the apparently unwieldy mass, give the idea of deformity, and make it a favourite with the Indian mountebanks or jugglers, who rely much on the attraction of its ugliness.
The cartilage of the nose is capable of extension, and the lips of considerable protrusion, as may be seen if the spectator hold a morsel of fruit or biscuit at a proper distance for exciting the animal to exert this faculty. The muzzle is elongated, and, with the ends of the feet, is whitish or yellowish. The forehead rises almost abruptly from the muzzle. The fur, with the exceptions above noticed and that next mentioned, is deep black, with here and there some brown spots, and is rather long, particularly round the head in old indi viduals. Upon the under side of the neck and breast is a white mark resembling the letters V or Y. In bulk it is about the size of the Brown Bear.