Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume II.djvu/439

 BEAR 419 self-defence, and then only when hard pressed and cornered. The flesh of the black bear is very good, resembling pork with a peculiar wild or perfumed flavor. The cinnamon bear {U. occidentalia) is generally regarded as a mere variety of the black bear, whose place it takes to the west of the Rocky mountains. It receives its name from the yellowish red color of the fur. It is not uncommon in California, and often descends from the upper sierras into the valley villages in winter in search of food ; though very fond of berries and nuts, it occa- sionally takes a calf, pig, or sheep ; it is savage if attacked or wounded. The Asiatic or sloth bear ( U. labiatus, so called from its long lips) is a Asiatic or Slc.th Bear (Ursus lablatua). timid, inoffensive creature ordinarily, though it will fight fiercely when wounded, or in defence of its young. It inhabits the high and moun- tainous regions of India, burrows in the earth, feeds on ants, rice, and honey, and lives in pairs, together with its young, which when alarmed mounts the back of the parent for safety. It is called sloth bear from the eden- tate character of the jaws, from the early loss alluded to in the Jewish Scriptures. When young it is grayish brown, becoming nearly white when old ; the hair is long, somewhat curled, forming a mane upon the shoulders, and near the skin surrounded by a soft fur. It is gentle in disposition, a vegetable feeder, and is found now in the mountains of Pales- tine. Three or four other species of bears, principally Asiatic, have recently been distin- guished, but all of very inferior interest to those above specified, and one at least of extremely doubtful authenticity as a distinct species. This is the Siberian bear ( U. collaris), so nearly identical with the common black bear as to be distinguished from it only by a white or grizzly collar encircling its shoulders and breast, and is probably a mere casual variety. It is said to be peculiar to Siberia. The spectacled bear {U. ornatws) is a native of the Chilian Andes. Its fur is smooth, shining, and black, with the exception of a pair of semicircu- lar marks over the eyes, whence its name, and the fur on its muzzle and its breast, which is of a dirty white color; little or nothing is Syrian Boar (Ursus Isabellinus). of the incisor teeth, and the filling up of the sockets. The Syrian bear (U. Isabellimu) is interesting chiefly because it is the one often The Spectacled Bear (Ursus ornatus). known of its habits. The Thibetan bear or Isabel bear (U. Tibetamts) is characterized by the shortness of its neck and the straightness of its facial outline. Its color is black, with a white under lip, and a white mark in the shape of a letter Y, the stem lying on the middle of the breast, with arms diverging upward on the shoulders. It is a small-sized, harmless, and purely vegetable-eating animal. The Malayan sun bear (helarctos Malayanus) is small, jet black, with a lunar white mark on its breast, and a yellowish muzzle. It has a long, slender, pro- trusive tongue, unlike that of other bears. It is perfectly inoffensive, feeding on honey and the young shoots of the cocoanut trees, of which it makes extreme havoc. When domesticated it becomes exceedingly tame, is sagacious, intel- ligent, and affectionate, and will not touch animal food. The Bornean bear (H. euryspi- liix) differs from the above by having a large orange-colored patch on the chest. It does not