neighbourhood of the Rocky Mountains, especially on the well wooded
plains which skirt the eastern declivity of that lofty and extensive
range, among thick copses of brush and underwood, and on the banks of
the water-courses which descend in innumerable petty streams from their
sources in the hills. In these wild solitudes, rarely trodden by the
foot of civilized man, and visited only by the savage Indians of the
neighbouring tribes, who have not yet learned to bow the neck beneath
the yoke of the exterminating conqueror, he reigns the almost undisputed
tyrant of the forest. Few among the animals which share with him his
barbarous habitation are fleet enough to escape him in the chase; and
none, when fairly placed within his reach, are powerful enough to
withstand his overwhelming force. Even the sturdy and formidable Bison,
the wild bull of North America, is incapable of offering any effectual
resistance to the furious impetuosity of his attack; and an illustration
of the extent of his muscular power is afforded by the fact that after
having destroyed his victim, he will drag its ponderous carcase to some
convenient spot, where he will dig a pit for its reception, and deposit
it for a season, returning to his feast from time to time as the calls of
hunger may dictate, until his store is exhausted and he is again reduced
to the necessity of looking abroad for a fresh supply.
But although endowed with so strong a propensity for animal food, as
well as with the power to gratify the appetite thus grafted in his very
nature, he is not, like the more perfect of the carnivorous tribe, left
entirely dependent upon that which, in the climate in which he has
been placed, must of necessity be a precarious, and frequently even
an impossible, source of subsistence. Of a more fierce and sanguinary
temper than the other bears, he does not hesitate to attack whatever
living creature may fall in his way, and man himself seems to inspire him
with little dread: but in the absence of his favourite food, he makes a
less savoury, but equally congenial, meal of vegetable substances, of
fruits, or more commonly of roots, the latter of which he digs up with
the greatest facility with his enormous claws; and in some parts of the
country these more simple productions form almost his sole subsistence.
On the quality of his food depends much of the ferocity of his temper;
for it appears that the bears of the western side of the Rocky Mountains,
who live almost entirely upon vegetables, are of a much less fierce and
savage disposition than their fellows of the eastern side, where animal
food is more abundant and more easily procured.
Next to his great size and excessive ferocity, one of the most striking
peculiarities of this animal is his extreme tenacity of life. For the
instances of this we are indebted almost wholly to the narrative of the
Travels of Captains Lewis and Clarke, whose statements are no doubt
founded in truth, although it may be suspected that they require to be
received with some grains at least of allowance. According to these
gentlemen one bear which had received five shots in his lungs, and five
other wounds in various parts of his body, swam a considerable distance
to a sand bank in the river, and survived more than twenty minutes;
another that had been shot through the centre of the lungs, pursued at
full speed the man by whom the wound was inflicted for half a mile, then
returned more than twice that distance, dug himself a bed two feet deep
and five feet long, and was perfectly alive two hours after he received
the wound; and a third, although actually shot through the heart, ran
at his usual pace nearly a quarter of a mile before he fell. There is
no chance, they add, of killing him by a single shot, unless the ball
goes directly through the brain; a single hunter runs consequently no
little risk in venturing to attack an animal upon whom the most dangerous
wounds, if not instantaneously fatal, produce no obvious immediate
effects.
Notwithstanding the horror with which the natives regard this animal,
it is said that they sometimes succeed in rendering him tame; and a
whimsical story is told by the late Governor Clinton, on the authority
of an Indian trader, of an insult offered to a domesticated bear of this
species by an Indian of a different tribe from that to which the master
of the bear belonged, being regarded as a national affront, and producing
a war between the two tribes. The same veracious trader, it should be
added, did not scruple to affirm that the Grizzly Bear had actually been
seen fourteen feet long: the greatest measurement given on any credible
authority being somewhat less than nine feet. It may, however, well be
doubted whether the Grizzly Bear is capable of being domesticated; for it
would appear that all the known attempts that have hitherto been made to
render him docile and obedient have completely failed. In the narrative
of Major Long’s expedition, Mr. Say has given some particulars relative
to the manners of a half-grown individual which was kept chained in the
yard of one of the stations of the Missouri Fur Company; but which,
though far from having attained his full strength, was by no means
trusted even by those who were most familiar with him. They occasionally
ventured to play with him; but this was always done with caution and
reserve; and when, as was sometimes the case, he chanced to break loose
from his confinement, the whole establishment was thrown into a state of
confusion and alarm. The same gentleman also gives the history of two
individuals which were presented when very young to the Philadelphia
Museum, where they were kept for several years confined in a strong cage;
until at length their strength and ferocity, which no kind of treatment
appeared capable of subduing, had reached such a pitch that it was found
absolutely necessary to destroy them.
In no respect has the subject of the present notice, whose portrait
admirably illustrates the peculiarities of his species, degenerated from
the race of which he appears to be the sole representative in Europe.
He was presented to his late majesty, more than seventeen years ago,
by the Hudson’s Bay Company, and has long been the oldest inhabitant of
the Tower Menagerie. The name of Martin, which was originally bestowed
upon him, in imitation probably of that of the most celebrated bear
ever exhibited in Europe, has consequently been of late years generally
preceded by the epithet of antiquity, and Old Martin has become under
that title almost as well known as his famous namesake. His size is
far superior to that of any other bear that has ever been seen in this
quarter of the globe; and his ferocity, in spite of the length of time
during which he has been a prisoner, and of all the attempts that have
been made to conciliate him, still continues undiminished. He does not
offer the slightest encouragement to familiarity on the part of his
keepers, but treats them with as much distance as the most perfect
strangers; and although he will sometimes appear playful and good
tempered, yet they know him too well to trust themselves within his
clutch.
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
THE THIBET BEAR.
_URSUS THIBETANUS._ F. CUV.
It is with no slight feelings of regret that we find ourselves unable
to furnish a complete and satisfactory account of the animal from whom
the portrait above given was taken. Very soon after the drawing was
completed, and before we had availed ourselves of the opportunity of
making the necessary examination, we were unfortunately precluded from so
doing by his sudden transfer to another country. His likeness alone, and
a faithful and spirited likeness we will venture to pronounce it, remains
with us. From this, and from the very imperfect notes which we possess,
we have little hesitation in referring it provisionally to the species
first established by M. Duvaucel, and since published by M. F. Cuvier
in his splendid Histoire Naturelle des Mammifères. The circumstance,
however, of our animal, the only individual of his species ever seen in
Europe, having been brought from the Island of Sumatra instead of the
continent of India, in which alone the Ursus Thibetanus had hitherto
been discovered, is so remarkable, that we should have felt bound, had
the means still remained open to us, to institute a close and severe
comparison between the living specimen and the figure and description
furnished by M. Duvaucel and M. Cuvier. As it is, we can only repeat
the characters of the Thibet Bear as given by them, and refer to our
figure for all the proof which we have it in our power to offer of its
identity with the present animal. We trust that M. Temminck, or some
other competent naturalist of the country to which the latter has been
conveyed, will amply supply a deficiency which certainly would not have
existed had we received timely notice of the intended transfer.
M. Duvaucel enumerates three species of bears inhabiting India and the
neighbouring islands. The first of these is the Ursus labiatus, which was
strangely mistaken on its first arrival in Europe, nearly forty years
ago, for a Sloth, and received from the naturalists of that day the name
of Bradypus pentadactylus, or ursinus, the Five-fingered, or Ursine,
Sloth; an appellation which has been productive of no little confusion
in nomenclature, and is still frequently employed in menageries and
exhibitions to distinguish the same animal, and sometimes even nearly
related species. With the true Sloths it has nothing in common; and the
only circumstance which can at all account for the blunder, consists
in the accidental deficiency of the incisor teeth in the animal first
examined; a deficiency, which, according to the strict principles of
the artificial system then adopted, was alone sufficient to convert a
Bear into a Sloth. The second is the Ursus Malayanus, the Malay Bear,
admirably illustrated, both with regard to character and habits, by
the late lamented Sir Stamford Raffles in the thirteenth volume of the
Linnean Transactions. Another species, intimately connected with this,
and unknown to M. Duvaucel, will form the subject of the following
article. In the present we must confine ourselves to his third form, the
Thibet Bear, which, according to his observations, made on the living
animal, is distinguished by the following characteristics.
In size it is intermediate between the two other species which he
describes. Its most remarkable distinction is derived from the thickness
of its neck and the flatness of its head, its forehead forming almost
a straight line with its muzzle. The latter is moderately thick and
somewhat lengthened; and the ears are very large. The body is compact,
and the limbs heavy; a conformation from which we might be led to infer
great muscular strength, together with a capacity for climbing trees and
performing other feats of a similar description, were it not for the
comparative weakness of the claws, which are scarcely more than half as
long as those of the other Indian bears. Like the latter, its colour
is invariably of a uniform glossy jet-black, except on the lower lip,
which is white; as is also a patch occupying the front of the neck, and
in shape like a Y, the two upper limbs of which pass in front of the
shoulders, while the lower one occupies the middle line of the chest.
The upper part of the muzzle is black, with a slight reddish tint on
the sides; and the edges of the lips flesh-coloured. The hair, which is
smooth on the muzzle, becomes shaggy on the back part of the head, from
the base of the ears downwards, and adds considerably to the apparent
volume of that part, but not quite to the same extent as in the Ursus
labiatus, in old individuals of which it almost touches the ground. It
was found by Dr. Wallich in the mountains of Nepaul, and by M. Duvaucel
in those of Sylhet; and from this limited range the latter gentleman
infers, perhaps a little too hastily, that its habitat is less extensive
than that of its fellows. He also regards it as being more ferocious in
its habits.
In this latter point alone, so far at least as we can at present judge,
does the animal from which our figure was taken offer any remarkable
discrepancy from the foregoing account. He could never be prevailed
on to touch flesh either raw or cooked; and bread and fruits were the
substances on which he was constantly fed. In his disposition he was
moderately tame, and particularly fond of play, after his own rough and
ludicrous fashion.
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
THE BORNEAN BEAR.
_URSUS (HELARCTOS) EURYSPILUS._ HORSF.
Of this very remarkable animal, the only individual of the species ever
seen in Europe, and in fact the only one that has yet fallen under the
notice of zoologists, so complete an account has been published by Dr.
Horsfield, in the second volume of the Zoological Journal, that it would
be presumptuous in us to attempt to add any thing to the masterly details
which are there furnished both of its organization and habits. We shall
therefore in the present instance, and with the less reluctance as the
animal is no longer living for further reference, content ourselves with
abstracting from that paper, as nearly as possible in the words of its
author, the more interesting and prominent features of the history which
is there given of the Bornean Bear; which, in conjunction with another
closely related species, the Ursus Malayanus, Dr. Horsfield has separated
from the other bears under the sub-generic title of Helarctos.
One of the most striking points on which this distinction is founded
consists in the form of the head, which, instead of being flattened,
as in the more northern species of the group, is nearly hemispherical
above, the forehead rising in a strong arch immediately behind the nose,
which is obtuse and very gradually attenuated. The gape of the mouth is
considerable; and the tongue, which is long, narrow, and very extensile,
is capable of being protruded for nearly a foot, and then curved inwards
in a spiral manner, a habit in which the animal appears frequently to
indulge. In the teeth the difference between this subdivision of the
genus and the rest of the animals which compose it is unessential, the
incisors and canines having no distinguishing characters, and the molars
being apparently subject to the same variations as in the genuine bears.
The Bornean Bear is perhaps somewhat shorter in his proportions than the
rest of the group, and the great proportional breadth of his head extends
also to the neck and body. The claws are very long, strongly arched, and
very gradually attenuated to the point, which is transversely truncated
and chiefly fitted for digging the earth; but probably also enabling it
to climb with great agility. The fur is short and glistening, somewhat
rigid, but closely applied to the skin, and smooth to the touch. On
the body, head, and extremities, the Bornean Bear has the same pure,
saturated, jet-black tint which is observed in the Malayan. The muzzle,
including the region of the eyes, has a yellowish brown colour; and the
anterior part of the neck is marked by a large broad patch of a more
vivid and nearly orange tint, which is of an irregular quadrangular form,
and deeply notched above. The difference in the form and colour of this
patch constitutes the chief distinction between the present animal and
the Malayan species, in which latter it is crescent-shaped and white.
The specimen from which this description was taken measured along the
back, from the muzzle to the tail, three feet nine inches. It arrived in
this country about four years ago, and formed until lately one of the
most attractive and interesting spectacles among the animals confined in
the Menagerie. It was brought from Borneo when very young, and during
its passage was the constant associate of a monkey and of several other
young animals. It was thus domesticated in early life, and its manners
in confinement greatly resembled those of the Malayan Bear observed by
Sir Stamford Raffles, to which it was probably not inferior in sagacity
or intellect. It could rest entirely on its posterior feet, and could
even raise itself without difficulty to a nearly erect posture; but was
more generally seen in a sitting attitude at the door of its apartment,
eagerly surveying the visiters and attracting their attention by the
uncouthness of its form and the singularity of its motions. When a
morsel of bread or cake was held at a small distance beyond its reach,
it would expand the lateral aperture of its nostrils and thrust forwards
its upper lip as a proboscis in a most ludicrous manner, at the same
time making use of its paws to seize the object. After obtaining it and
filling its mouth, it would place the remainder with great calmness on
its posterior feet, and bring it in successive portions to its mouth.
When craving for food, and also while consuming it, it emitted a coarse,
but not unpleasant, whining sound, accompanied by a low grunting noise;
but if teased at this time, it would suddenly raise its voice to a
harsh and grating tone. It was excessively voracious, and appeared
disposed to eat almost without cessation; a propensity which finally
cost it its life, having overgorged itself at breakfast one morning in
the course of last summer during the hot weather, and dying within ten
minutes afterwards. This was a severe loss to Mr. Cops, who prized it
highly, and to whom, in return, it was greatly attached. On seeing its
keeper it would often place itself in a variety of attitudes, to court
his attention and caresses, extending its nose and anterior feet, or,
suddenly turning round, exposing its back and waiting for several minutes
in this posture with its head placed on the ground. It delighted in being
patted and rubbed, even by strangers; but violently resented abuse and
ill treatment. Its principal food was bread.
Our figure was taken from the stuffed skin which is preserved in the
Museum of the Zoological Society.
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
MONKEYS.
_SIMIÆ._ LINN.
It may perhaps seem to require some apology that we have ventured so
far to depart from the ordinary system of arrangement as to remove the
Monkeys from the station which they have hitherto usually been permitted
to occupy at the head of the class, and to transfer them to their present
position. We will not attempt to conceal that in so doing we were chiefly
actuated by the desire of placing at the commencement of our series the
largest and most attractive of the animals of which it was composed;
and those which, in a Menagerie like that which we have undertaken to
illustrate, always constitute the most imposing feature. But while we
acknowledge the influence of this feeling to the fullest extent, we
cannot refrain from expressing at the same time our firm conviction that
the carnivorous quadrupeds possess in reality a better title to the place
which we have assigned them, than the Monkeys which we have displaced
to make room for them. The supposed transition from man, on which the
received arrangement is founded, has little to do with the question;
and it would surely require no great subtilty of argument to prove that
the Carnivora are more highly typical of the great class, of which they
form so important a part, than any other tribe whatever. But this is not
the proper place for entering into so abstract a question; to which we
have only referred _en passant_, for the sake of justifying ourselves
upon broader principles for a deviation from established custom, which
we should not have hesitated to adopt, in the present instance, on the
narrow ground of expedience alone. Before, however, we take leave of
it altogether, we cannot avoid asking, why, if the Monkeys are to take
precedence of the Carnivora among Mammalia, the analogous tribe of Birds,
the Pies and the Parrots, should not also rank above the ornithological
representatives of the beasts of prey, the towering Eagle and the
rapacious Vulture?
To return, however, to our Monkeys; to which, be it observed, we do
not pretend to assign this as a definite position. They form by far
the largest portion of the Quadrumana; all the other animals of that
order being comprehended, or rather confounded, in a distinct family,
under the name of Lemurs, from the rightful owners of which appellation
many of them differ most essentially. In addition to the hands on the
posterior as well as anterior members, with long and flexible fingers
and opposable thumbs, which constitute the primary characters of the
order, the Monkey tribe in general is distinguished by the following
peculiarities. Their incisor teeth are invariably four in each jaw, and
their molars, like those of man, are flat and surmounted by blunted
tubercles. The latter are five in number on each side of either jaw in
all the Monkeys of the Old Continent, and in one very distinct tribe
belonging to the New; but most of the American species are furnished
with a sixth. Their canines vary considerably in size, from a trifling
projection beyond the remaining teeth to a long and powerful tusk, almost
equalling those of the most formidable Carnivora; and from this structure
it necessarily follows that a vacant space is left between the incisors
and the canines of the upper jaw, and between the canines and the molars
of the lower, for the reception and lodgment of those organs when the
mouth is closed. The nails of all their fingers, as well as those of the
thumbs, are invariably flat and expanded.
In almost every other point they are subject to infinite variations of
form and structure. The shape of the head, which, in one or two species,
offers a close approximation to the human form, passes through numerous
intermediate gradations, until it reaches a point at which it can only be
compared with that of the hound. The body, which is in general slight and
well made, is in some few instances remarkably short and thickset, and
in others drawn out to a surprising degree of tenuity. Their limbs vary
greatly in their proportions; but in most of them the anterior are longer
than the posterior: in all they are admirably adapted to the purposes to
which they are applied, in climbing and leaping, by the slenderness of
their form, the flexibility of their joints, and the muscular activity
with which these qualities are so strikingly combined. But of all their
organs there is perhaps none which exhibits so remarkable a discrepancy
in every particular as the tail; which is entirely wanting in some, forms
a mere tubercle in others, in a third group is short and tapering, in a
fourth of moderate length and cylindrical, in a fifth extremely long but
uniformly covered with hair; in others, again, of equal length, divested
of hair beneath and near the tip, and capable of being twisted round the
branch of a tree or any other similar substance in such a manner as to
support the whole weight of the animal, even without the assistance of
his hands.