Our hunters did not remain at their bivouac longer than was absolutely
necessary to swallow a hasty meal. They had been warned of the
dangerous climate of the _Terai_, and hurrying on through it, reached
the more elevated hill region before night. Journeying on, they entered
the kingdom of Nepaul, among whose hills they expected to find the
Thibet bear (_ursus thibetanus_). This animal has been usually regarded
as a mere variety of the _ursus arctos_; but without the slightest
reason. It is an animal of more gentle habits, and exclusively a
vegetarian in its diet: in colour it is black, but having a white mark
on its breast shaped like a Y, the branches of the letter coming up in
front of its shoulders, while the limb extends between the fore legs and
halfway along the belly. The claws of the animal are small and weak;
and its profile forms almost a straight line, thus essentially differing
from the _ursus arctos_. It is also a much smaller animal--rarely
attaining to more than half the size of the latter species, and scarce
bigger than the _ursus malayanus_, to which it bears a far greater
resemblance. It is found in the mountains of Sylhet, and throughout
that portion of the Himalayas enclosed within the great bend of the
Brahmapootra, in Thibet, whence it derives its specific appellation. It
is equally an inhabitant of the hill-country of Nepaul; and there our
hunters proceeded in search of their specimen. By the help of a
"Ghoorka" guide, which they had hired, they were not long in finding
one; but as there was no curious or particular incident connected with
its capture, the journal of Alexis is silent upon the affair: it is only
recorded that the animal was started from a thicket of _rhododendron_
bushes, and shot down while endeavouring to make its escape.
Having settled their business with the Thibet bear, our hunters might
have also procured another species within the territory of Nepaul--that
is, the brown, or Isabella bear (_ursus isabellinus_). This they could
have found by ascending to the higher ranges of the great snowy
mountains that overlook Nepaul; but as they knew they should also
encounter this species near the sources of the Ganges, and as they were
desirous of visiting that remarkable locality, they continued on
westward through Nepaul and Delhi, arriving at the health station of
Mussoorie, in the beautiful valley of the Dehra Doon.
After resting here for some days, they proceeded to ascend the
mountains, the lower and middle zone of which they found covered with
forests of magnificent oaks, of several distinct species.
In these oak-forests, greatly to the surprise of Alexis, they heard of
the existence of a large black bear, altogether different from the
_ursus thibetanus_, and equally so from the _ursus isabellinus_--a
distinct species, in fact, which, though well-known to Anglo-Indian
hunters, appears to have escaped the attention of naturalists.
They ascertained, moreover, that he was far from being a scarce animal,
or an insignificant member of the Bruin family; in point of size,
formidable strength, and ferocity of disposition, being only inferior to
_ursus ferox_ and _maritimus_, and in all these qualities quite a match
for the _ursus arctos_. Of his fierce nature, and the capability to do
mischief, our travellers had evidence in almost every village through
which they passed. Numerous instances were brought before their notice
of men who had been scratched and torn by these black bears, and some
most fearfully mutilated. They saw men with their whole skin stripped
from their skulls and faces; their features presenting a most hideous
aspect.
This singular habit of inflicting punishment on their human enemy
appears to be common to the whole bear tribe--I mean, the habit of
scalping their victims, and endeavouring to disfigure the face. Not
only do both the black and brown bears of the Himalayas follow this
habit, but also the _ursus arctos_, the grizzly, and the white. They
always aim at the head, but more especially the face; and with a single
"rake" of their spread claws, usually strip off both skin and flesh.
Having accomplished this, a bear will often desist from further
ill-treatment of his victims; and if the latter will but lie still and
feign dead, the monster will give up mauling him, and shamble off from
the ground, apparently satisfied with having taken the scalp.
This savage habit on the part of the bears our young hunters had long
since noted; and that the black bear of the Himalayas followed the
fashion of his kindred, they had now ample evidence.
In his other habits--which they learnt from the shikkaries, or village
hunters--this bear strongly resembles the _ursus arctos_ of Northern
Europe. On ordinary occasions his food consists of fruits, roots, and
insects of _every_ kind he can catch--even scorpions and beetles--and
where the primeval forest does not afford him full rations, he will
enter the cultivated grounds and make havoc among the crops. Strange
enough, he does not meddle with the wheat; though he will ravage the
fields of buckwheat and barley! At night he enters the gardens
contiguous to the houses, and plunders them of all kinds of fruits and
vegetables. He even approaches still nearer--abstracting their honey
from the tame bees--the hives of which, according to a curious custom of
the hill people, are set in little indentations in the walls of their
dwelling-houses.
The black bear occasionally cools his chops by munching melons and
cucumbers; but he is particularly fond of a dessert of apricots--which
is the most common fruit cultivated throughout the middle ranges of the
Himalayas. The bear enters the apricot orchard at night; and climbing
the trees, will make more havoc in a single visit than a score of
schoolboys. In all the orchards, elevated crows' nests or sentry boxes
are set up, specially intended for watching the bears; and at this
season many of them are killed in the act of robbing.
The Himalayan black bear will eat flesh--either fresh or putrid--and
when once he has got into this habit he never forsakes it, but remains a
carnivorous creature for the rest of his life. He will attack the goats
and sheep on the mountain pastures; and will even make inroads to the
village enclosures, and destroy the animals in their very sheds! When a
flock of sheep falls in his way, unless he is driven off by the
shepherds, he does not content himself by killing only one, but
sometimes converts a score of them into mutton.
Those bears, however, that exhibit an extreme carnivorous propensity,
are certain to bring about their own destruction: as the attention of
the villagers being drawn upon them, snares and baited traps are set
everywhere, and they are also followed by the Shikkaries armed with
their matchlock guns.
These bears often attain to an immense size--in this respect nearly
equalling the _ursus arctos_, of which they cannot, however, be supposed
to be a variety. Eight feet is the usual length of a full-grown
specimen; and, when in a good condition, it requires a whole crowd of
men to raise the carcass of one of them from the ground.
Autumn is their season of greatest fatness; and especially when the
acorns are getting ripe, but previous to their falling from the tree.
Then the black bears are met with in the greatest numbers, coming from
all parts into the oak-forests, and climbing the trees to procure their
favourite food. They do not nibble off the acorns one by one; but first
break the branches which are loaded, and carry them all into one place--
generally into some fork--where, seated like squirrels, on their great
hams, they can discuss the meal at their leisure. In passing through
these oak-forests, large piles of branches may be seen thus collected
together on the tops of the trees--resembling the nests of rooks or
magpies--which have been brought together by the bears for the purpose
above stated.
When the forest lies in a district, where these bears are much hunted,
they usually retire by day; and conceal themselves in their
hiding-places in the thickets; but even in such forests the animals may
be seen prowling about before sunset, and long after daylight in the
morning.
In the higher hills and forests of the _khurso_ oak, remote from the
villages, they do not even take the precaution to hide themselves, but
remain all day "acorn-gathering" among the trees. It is at this season
that they can be hunted with most success: since the hunter is under no
necessity of tracking them, but can find his great game by simply
walking quietly through the woods, and keeping a lookout overhead, just
as if he were searching for squirrels.
It chanced to be the months of October when our hunters arrived at this
part of the Himalayas; and having reached the region of the larger
oak-forests, they commenced their search accordingly. They were
extremely desirous of success; knowing how much their father would be
gratified at obtaining the skin of this black bear, which being an
undescribed variety, might be considered an "extra" one.