POLAR, WHITE, or Ice BEAR. The Polar Bear (Ursns, or Tlia lasso retus in ant im us) is an in habitant of the entire Arctic regions, where it seems to be extremely numerous upon all coasts and islands, and may wander n cast distance from land upon the ice, or even by swimming, for it has been encountered in the open yea many miles from shore, and sometimes drifts a long way south on ice-floes. In color it is creamy white, with black claws, and the color does not change to white in winter, as is the case with most Arctic animals. It is one of the largest of bears, and has an elongated neck and straight head, so that specimens may exceed 9 feet from nose to tail. Its limbs are comparatively slender, its feet disproportionately long and hairy upon the soles, giving it a firm hold upon the ice and power in swimming. Its food is mainly seals, which it captures both on land (or ice) and in the water, with great activity and cun ning; but it also feeds upon such fish as it can catch in shallows or find dead, and in summer it regales itself on marine grass. Its sense of smell enables it to detect concealed food, and Arctic travelers find it difficult to build 'caches' strong enough to withstand its efforts. Although a dweller in the coldest and most wintry part of the globe, this bear is abroad at all seasons, and brings forth its young in no better chamber than a cavern scratched in the snow, which may cover the mother and her nursing young for many days before she is able to lead forth the cubs.
The 'EUROPEAN' BROWN BEAR has been well known in captivity, as well as wild, ever since the days of the Roman arena, and it is still a resident in every 'zoo' and the docile companion of wandering 'bear-tamers.' It survived in Great Britain until nearly the Twelfth Century, and is still to be found in the Pyrenees, eastern Alps, and thence through Russia, Syria, and Cen tral and Northern Asia to the Himalayas and Kamchatka. It is probable, also, that the so called barren-ground bear of the Hudson Bay region and the great brown bears of Alaska (see below) are geographical races of this spe cies, of which, also, the almost while isahelline, or snow bear, of the Himalayas, and the Syrian bear (mentioned in the Bible and still ranging the mountains of Palestine) are local varieties.
Everywhere it is a solitary denizen of forests and mountains, affording good sport in Europe, and of great service to the barbarians of northeast ern Asia, who depend largely upon it for food and clothing. It is too well known to require particular description. For its history as an object of ancient sport and its employment in `bear baiting,' etc., consult Harting, British Ani mals Extinct Within Historic Times (London, 1880).
The HIMALAYAN BLACK BEAR (Ursrus tor quatus) and the JAPANESE BEAR ( jai/CM/j et/0 are rather smaller species, usually glossy black. They resemble the American black hearA, and are held in high respect by sportsmen.
The SUN BEAR, or ButiANo (Unita .11 y(1)111.0 , of the Malayan Peninsula, Java, Sumatra, and Borneo, represents a distinct genus (Helaretus), in the view of many students, which is known also by several fossil species, including the huge CAVE BEAR (Ursus spekrns) of ancient Europe, supposed to have been exterminated by prehis toric man. The size is much less than that of either the brown or the sloth-bear, the head brad and short, the fur short and close, and the tongue and lips remarkably strong and flexible. With this go very long, strong claws, fitted for tearing to pieces ant-hills and other insect retreats, whose inhabitants are easily gathered by means of the extensile, glutinous month. it inhabits dense mountain jungles and climbs expertly. Its color is black, marked with a white crescent (orange in the Bo•nean variety) on the breast. It is peaceably inclined, but fierce and aggressive when brought to bay, rising upon its hind legs and attacking with its long, sharp claws; but taken young, or bred in captivity, it becomes an amusing and somewhat intelligent ally of the showman. One kept as a pet by Sir Stafford Raffles, the most prominent of the early English governors and describers of Malaya, has become famous in ursine chronicles.