THE BEAR TRIBE
The bears are very interesting animals. In no animals, perhaps, are
young folks more interested than in these, for they have many traits
that endear them to little human admirers, while with older persons they
have often lived on terms of intimate friendship. In our own country
this interest in these fascinating animals was lately quickened, for
children especially, by the almost universal possession and popularity
among them of "Teddy bears," so named with playful reference to
President Theodore Roosevelt, affectionately called "Teddy," and himself
well acquainted with bears and other beasts, both wild and tame.
POLAR BEARS
One of the most interesting of all bears is the polar bear, which is
found in almost all parts of the arctic regions. Sometimes it is called
the white bear, on account of the color of its coat. But this is very
seldom really white. Generally it is creamy yellow. And sometimes, in an
old male, it is dingy yellow, and not even of the color of cream.
This is one of the largest of the bears, for it often grows to a length
of nine feet, and weighs eight hundred or even nine hundred pounds. Yet
it is wonderfully active, and it can run with very great speed. Indeed,
if it were to pursue a man, he would have very little chance of escape.
But it is not at all a quarrelsome animal, and although it will fight
most savagely if it is wounded or driven to bay, using both teeth and
claws with terrible effect, it very seldom attacks if it is not
molested.
One of the first things that we notice on looking at a polar bear is the
small size of its head and the length of its neck. This, no doubt, is to
help it in swimming; for if it had a head as big as that of an
ordinary bear it would find it very much harder to force its way through
the water. And of course it must be able to swim well, for otherwise it
could never catch the porpoises and fishes upon which it feeds. We
notice, too, the huge size of its paws, which are nearly eighteen inches
long, and very broad as well. These form most excellent paddles, while
the thick fur is so oily that it quite prevents the icy water from
coming into contact with the skin.
The bear is very fond of feeding upon seals as well as upon porpoises
and fishes. But these are so active in the water that it seldom attempts
to chase them, preferring to creep quietly up to them as they lie
sleeping on the ice. Then it kills them with one stroke of its terrible
paw. Sometimes, too, it is said to prey upon the walrus, crushing in its
skull by a series of tremendous blows before it can shuffle off the ice
into the sea.
The feet of the polar bear are specially suited for traveling over the
ice, for the soles are covered with long, thick hairs, which give it a
firm foothold, and at the same time prevent it from feeling the cold of
the frozen surface.
The young of these bears are born and brought up in a kind of nursery
under the snow, which is so warm and snug that they do not feel the cold
at all. Here they live with their mother until the snow melts at the
return of warmer weather, and then for some months father, mother, and
cubs all wander about together.
Polar bears sometimes live for a very long time in captivity. One of
these animals lived in the London Zoo for thirty-four years, and another
for thirty-three. The former of these once gave the keepers a terrible
fright, for early one morning he managed to climb out of his enclosure,
and when they found him he was just setting off on a journey of
discovery into the Regent's Park. After a good deal of trouble they got
him back, and altered his enclosure in such a way that he could never
make his escape again.
THE BROWN BEAR OF EUROPE AND ASIA
This bear is found in most parts of Europe, and also throughout almost
the whole of Asia north of the Himalayas. In former days it was not
uncommon even in England, and in the time of Edward the Confessor the
city of Norwich was obliged to kill a bear every year and send its body
to the king.
These bears are found in wooded, hilly districts, often ascending to
considerable heights in the mountains. In some parts of Asia they make
regular tracks through the forest, in the form of pathways about two
feet wide; and it is said that these tracks sometimes run for hundreds
of miles. They are solitary animals, and it is not often that even a
pair are seen together. But for several months after they are born the
cubs go about with their mother.
This bear is generally supposed, when it fights, to try to hug its
enemies to death, throwing its fore limbs round them, and crushing them
in its embrace. But in reality it strikes a kind of side blow, and
forces its great claws into its victim's body thus causing a terrible
wound. Just before it strikes it rears its body erect, and sits for a
moment almost perfectly still; and it is for this moment that an
experienced hunter waits in order to send a bullet through its heart.
The brown bear of Europe and Asia can scarcely be called a beast of
prey, though now and then, when it is very hungry, it will kill a pony
or a sheep and feast upon its flesh. It eats roots, as a rule, digging
them up with its great paws; and it is also very fond of fruit. It will
rob the nests of wild bees, too, and feed greedily upon the honey,
appearing to pay no attention to the stings of the angry insects. And
sometimes it may be seen turning over large stones, in order to catch
and eat the beetles, earwigs, centipedes, etc., which have been hiding
beneath it.
Now and then, too, these bears have been known to catch fish. Their
usual plan seems to be to wade out into a stream, in some place where
the water is not more than about eighteen inches deep, and there to
stand motionless until a fish comes swimming past. Then with one quick,
sudden stroke the victim is killed, and the bear seizes it in its mouth
and carries it to the bank to be devoured.
When bears catch fish in this way they are usually rather dainty, and
only eat the best part of the flesh upon the back.
In cold countries these bears often hibernate during the winter, just as
bats and hedgehogs do. They eat a great deal of food toward the end of
summer, and become exceedingly fat, and then retire to hollow trees or
caves and fall asleep for several months, during which they live on
their own fat. In the spring, of course, when they wake up, they are
very thin, but a few weeks of good feeding will bring them back into
proper condition.
These brown bears are very easily tamed, and many "performing bears"
belong to this species. It is not nearly such a large animal as the
polar bear, its average length being only about six feet.
THE AMERICAN BROWN BEAR
The brown bear of America is closely allied to that of the Old World. It
was first described by Sir John Richardson, who called it the
Barrenlands bear. It has since been further described by Dr. Clinton
Hart Merriam, chief of the United States Biological Survey. It differs
from the grizzly in the smallness of its claws. The difference in the
profile also is very marked--the brown bear having a profile like that
of the European and Asiatic bear, while that of the grizzly is flat.
The brown bear of North America lives largely on the fruits and berries
of the northern plants, on dead deer, and on putrid fish, of which
quantities are left on the banks of the northern rivers. Whether the
large brown bear of the Rocky Mountains is always a grizzly, or often
this less dangerous race, is doubtful. The following is Sir Samuel
Baker's account of these bears. He says: "When I was in California,
experienced informants told me that no true grizzly bear was to be found
east of the Pacific slope. There are numerous bears of three if not four
kinds in the Rocky Mountains. These are frequently termed grizzlies; but
it is a misnomer. The true grizzly is far superior in size, but of
similar habits." There are certainly three Rocky Mountain bears--the
grizzly, the brown, and the small black bear. There is probably also
another--a cross between the black and the brown. It is a mistake to say
that the brown bears which come to eat the refuse on the dust-heaps of
the hotels of the Yellowstone Park, and let ladies photograph them, are
savage grizzly bears.
THE GRIZZLY BEAR
The famous grizzly bear, which lives in North America, is much bigger
and stronger and more savage than the brown bears, so that it is really
a very formidable animal. When fully grown, this huge creature is
sometimes as much as nine feet long from the tip of the snout to the
root of the tail, while it weighs at least 800 or 900 pounds.
The grizzly is a very distinct race of brown bear. It has a flat
profile, like the polar bear. This enormous creature is barely able to
climb trees, and has the largest claws of any--they have been known to
measure five inches along the curve. The true grizzly, which used to be
found as far north as 61º latitude and south as far as Mexico, is a rare
animal now. Its turn for cattle-killing made the ranchmen poison it, and
rendered the task an easy one. It is now only found in the northern
Rocky Mountains and parts of northern California and Nevada. Formerly
encounters with "Old Ephraim," as the trappers called this bear, were
numerous and deadly. It attacked men if attacked by them, and often
without provocation. The horse, perhaps more than its rider, was the
object of the bear.
On a ranch near the upper waters of the Colorado River several colts
were taken by grizzly bears. One of them was found buried according to
the custom of this bear, and the owner sat up to shoot the animal.
Having only the old-fashioned small-bored rifle of the day, excellent
for shooting deer or Indians, but useless against so massive a beast as
this bear, unless hit in the head or heart, he only wounded it. The bear
rushed in, struck him a blow with its paw (the paw measures a foot
across), smashed the rifle which he held up as a protection, and struck
the barrel on to his head. The man fell insensible, when the bear,
having satisfied himself that he was dead, picked him up, carried him
off, and buried him in another hole which it scratched near the dead
colt. It then dug up the colt and ate part of it, and went off.
Some time later the man came to his senses, and awoke to find himself
"dead and buried." As the earth was only roughly thrown over him, he
scrambled out, and saw close by the half-eaten remains of the colt.
Thinking that it might be about the bear's dinner-time, and remembering
that he was probably put by in the larder for the next meal, he hurried
home at once, and did not trouble the bear again.
Not so a Siberian peasant, who had much the same adventure. He had been
laughed at for wishing to shoot a bear, and went out in the woods to do
so. The bear had the best of it, knocked him down, and so frightfully
mangled his arm that he fainted. Bruin then buried him in orthodox bear
fashion; and the man, when he came to, which he fortunately did before
the bear came back, got up, and made his way to the village. There he
was for a long time ill, and all through his sickness and delirium
talked of nothing but shooting the bear. When he got well, he
disappeared into the forest with his gun, and after a short absence
returned with the bear's skin!
THE BLACK BEAR
The black bear is also an inhabitant of North America, but is neither so
common or so widely distributed as it used to be. There are two reasons
for this. The first is that this bear is an extremely mischievous
animal, and is very fond of visiting farmyards, and carrying off sheep,
calves, pigs and poultry. So the farmer loses no opportunity of shooting
or trapping it. And the other reason is, that its coat is very valuable,
so that the hunters follow it even into the wilder parts of the country,
where settlers, as yet, have not made their appearance.
This animal is only about half as big as the grizzly bear, for it seldom
exceeds five feet in total length. It never attacks man unless it is
provoked. When driven to bay, however, it becomes a most formidable
opponent, dealing terrific blows with its fore paws, and fighting on
with furious energy even after it has received a mortal wound.
Early in the autumn the black bear generally goes into winter quarters.
Finding a hollow under a fallen tree, or a cave of suitable size,
it gathers together about a cartload of dead leaves and ferns, and makes
a snug, cosy nest. Very often it lays a number of branches on the top,
to prevent the leaves from blowing away. Before very long, of course,
this nest is deeply covered with snow, and the bear lies fast asleep
inside it for four or five months, living on the fat which it stored up
inside its body during the summer.
This bear is sometimes known as the musquaw, an Indian name.
SUN-BEARS
These animals are so called because they wander about by day, and like
to bask in the hottest sunshine, instead of hiding away in some dark
retreat, as most of the other bears do. They live in India and the
larger islands of the Malay Archipelago. They are excellent climbers,
spending a great part of their lives among the branches of the trees.
These bears have most curious tongues, which are very long and slender,
and can be coiled and twisted about in the most singular way. Apparently
they are used for licking out honey from the nests of wild bees.
Sun-bears are small, gentle creatures, and are easily tamed. In the zoo
they are extremely playful, and you may often see them standing upon
their hind legs and wrestling with one another, and then tumbling over
and rolling upon the floor, evidently enjoying themselves very much.
Their fur is smooth and glossy, and is jet-black in color, the chin and
a crescent-shaped patch under the throat being white.
THE SLOTH-BEAR
Another name for this bear is the aswail--its East-Indian name. It is
perhaps the oddest of all the bears, for it has very long and shaggy
hair, a flexible snout which it is always curling and twisting, and a
very awkwardly and clumsily built body. It walks with a curious rolling
gait, crossing its paws over one another at every step it takes. And it
has a queer way of eating termites and ants by breaking open their
nests with its great fore paws, blowing away the dust and fine earth,
and then sucking up the insects by forcibly drawing in its breath
through its lips. It makes such a noise when doing this that it can be
heard from a distance of two or three hundred yards.
The sloth-bear is seldom seen abroad during the daytime, for the odd
reason that the skin of the soles of its feet is so delicate that it
cannot bear to walk upon ground which is heated by the rays of the sun.
Sometimes, when a hunter has driven one of them from its lair and
pursued it by day, he has found its feet most terribly scorched and
blistered when at last he killed it, simply because it had been obliged
to walk over rocks on which the midday sun was beating down.
When a mother sloth-bear has little ones, she always carries them about
on her back. If she stops to feed they at once jump down, but always
spring up again as soon as she moves on. Even when they are quite big
they travel about in this way, and a sloth-bear may often be seen with a
cub as large as a retriever dog perched upon her back, and another one
trotting along by her side. And from time to time she makes the little
ones change places.
If a mother is wounded while her cubs are with her, she always seems to
think that one of them must have bitten her, and immediately gives them
both a good sound box on the ears. If several of these animals are
together, and one of them is struck by a bullet, it begins to howl and
cry at the top of its voice. The other bears at once come running up to
see what is the matter, and begin to howl and cry too, out of pure
sympathy for its sufferings. Then the wounded animal thinks that they
have caused his injuries, and begins to cuff them with his paws. They,
of course, strike back, and very soon all the bears are buffeting and
biting and scratching one another. They must be very stupid creatures,
mustn't they?
The sloth-bear is a little more than five feet long when fully grown,
and stands from twenty-seven to thirty-three inches in height at the
shoulder. In color it is black, with a white crescent-shaped mark on the
upper part of its chest, like that of the sun-bear.
THE PANDA
Besides the true bears, there are a number of smaller animals which
belong to the same tribe.
One of these is the panda, wah, or bear-cat, which is only about as big
as a rather large cat. It is rusty red in color, with darker rings upon
the tail, the tip of which is black. The face is white, and the lower
parts of the body are very dark brown.
The panda is found in the forests of the Eastern Himalayas, and also in
Eastern Tibet. It is a very good climber and spends much of its time in
the trees, searching for the nuts, fruits, and acorns on which it feeds.
If it happens to find a bird's nest with eggs in it, it will suck them
all, one after the other. And sometimes it will come down to the ground
to make a meal upon roots, or the young shoots of bamboo.
The panda has rather large claws--just like those of a bear--and one
would think that they would form very serviceable weapons. But the
animal seems to have very little idea of fighting, and scarcely tries
even to defend itself if it is attacked.
RACOONS
Next come the racoons, which live in America. The best known of them is
the common racoon, found throughout the United States, and also in
Central America as far south as Costa Rica.
This is a very pretty animal. In size it is about as big as a rather
large cat, and is brown or grayish brown in color, with a tail that is
very bushy and beautifully ringed with gray and black. The head is
rather like that of a fox, with a whitish forehead, and a black patch
just below it, enclosing the eyes.
Racoons may usually be seen in a zoo, and if you give one of them a
piece of bread or biscuit it will take it in its fore paws, just as if
the animal were a monkey, and then go and rinse it carefully in the
little pond in the middle of its cage. It never eats a scrap of food
without washing it in this curious manner, and for this reason the
Germans have given it the name of "Waschbär" or "washing-bear."
The fur of the racoon is so soft and thick that it is very valuable, and
the animal is very much hunted. It is generally hunted by night, the
hunters going out with a number of dogs, which soon drive the animal
into a tree. They then sit in a circle round the trunk, while one of the
hunters climbs the tree, drives the racoon to the end of the branch, and
then shakes it violently till the poor creature falls to the ground,
where it is quickly seized and despatched.
Racoons will eat almost anything. Sometimes they will visit a
poultry-yard and kill a number of the fowls by biting off their heads.
Or they will go down to the sea-shore when the tide is out to search for
crabs and oysters, or to the creeks and streams to hunt for crayfish.
They are fond, too, of mice, and young birds, and eggs, and lizards, and
fresh-water tortoises, and even insects. Occasionally they make a meal
on nuts or fruit; but although they are such capital climbers, and can
run about among the tree-branches as actively as squirrels, they never
appear to pluck fruits or nuts as they grow, but only to pick up those
which have fallen on the ground.
In Northern Mexico and adjoining parts of the United States there is a
small relative of the racoon called cacomistle, or American civet-cat
(though it is not a real civet). This has a sharp, fox-like face, big
erect ears, a cat-like body, and long furry ringed tail; and it makes a
gentle and most amusing pet, of great service in keeping a house free
from vermin. Hence it is often tamed and kept by miners and others who
are glad of its lively company and need assistance in housekeeping.
THE COATI
Closely allied to the racoons is the coati, or coati-mondi, which you
may recognize at once by its very long snout. This snout is turned up at
the tip, and gives to the animal a most curious appearance, while it is
continually being curled and twisted about like that of the sloth-bear.
It is chiefly used for rooting about in the ground in search of worms
and insects, and when the animal is drinking it always turns up the tip
of its snout as far as possible, in order that it may not get wet.
The coati can climb quite as well as the racoons and spends most of its
life in the trees, seldom coming down to the ground except to feed or to
drink. It has a queer way of descending a tree with its head downward,
turning the hinder feet around in such a way that it can hook its claws
into the little crevices in the bark. During the daytime it is generally
fast asleep, using its long bushy tail partly as a pillow and partly as
a blanket. But almost immediately after sunset it wakes up and begins to
scamper about among the branches with the most wonderful activity,
stopping every now and then to rob a bird's nest, or to poke its snout
into a hole in search of insects.
The coati is about a yard in length, nearly half of which belongs to the
tail. In color it is chestnut brown, with black ears and legs, while the
tail has black and brownish yellow rings.
THE KINKAJOU
Only one more member of the bear tribe remains to be mentioned, and that
is the very curious kinkajou, which is found in the forests of South and
Central America. It is about as big as a cat, with very woolly fur of a
light brown color, and a very long tail. This tail is prehensile, like
that of a spider-monkey, and the animal never seems quite happy unless
the tip is coiled round a branch. And if you make a pet of it, and carry
it about in your arms, it will always try to coil its tail round one of
your wrists.
It has a very odd tongue, too, so round and long that it looks almost
like a worm. The animal can poke this tongue into the cells of a
honeycomb, in order to lick out the honey, or use it in plucking fruit
which would otherwise be out of its reach. And it descends the trunks of
trees head first, just as the coati does.