Page:Journal of the Straits Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society (IA journalofstra25271894roya).pdf/54

 One kept in captivity ate papayas (Carica papaya) and Rambais (Baccaurea motleyana, Hook.) swallowing the seeds and passing them apparently uninjured.

Urside.—The common bear (Helarctos malayanus) is a nocturnal fruit-eater, and is particularly found of Durians. The fruit of the common Durian (Durio zibethinus) when ripe falls entire upon the ground, and when found by the bear, is torn to pieces and the seeds scattered about. The bear, however, also ascends the tree as well and helps itself to the Durians, which grow, as is well known, on the thick branches, where it can get at them.

In the wild Durian (D. Oxleyanus) the fruit splits on the tree and lets the seeds fall. In one wild Durian which I saw at Pekan, the flesh of the seed was pink and the capsule split so as to show the bright colour. It grew in a part of the country where there were no bears and was probably dispersed by some such bird as the hornbill.

I gave a bear a wild Durian (Durio oblongus) to eat. It tore it to bits with its paws and ate the aril of the seed and a good deal of the placentas, but would not eat the seed and spit it out so that it fell some way off. Another bear seeing the seed fall bit it, but did not like the taste and would not eat it. There was no particular taste to the part that the bear ate, though it was very eager to eat it, nor had the rejected seeds any taste that seemed objectionable to me.

I will here digress a little to compare the several forms of fruit of the Durioneæ showing their various modifications and their meaning with respect to dispersal.

In the genus Durio, the fruit is a thorny capsule, dull brown or green, and the seeds have a white or pink edible aril.

Durio zibethinus, L. The fruits are borne on the strong branches, on short stalks, and are strongly scented so as to be easily found at night, and are dispersed by the bear, a heavy nocturnal animal.

D. oblongus, Mast. The fruits resemble those of zibethinus, but are not scented. They open on the tree, and evenutally drop the seed. They are probably dispersed by birds, as the