The astonishing part of the whole thing was the rapidity with which the bears came up the crevice. It was by no means an easy climb for a man, and yet it hardly seemed to delay them at all.
There is a certain delicacy in this branch of sport that requires such exceptional temperament and nerve that the writer can hardly feel himself justified in recommending its practice, at all events to a novice in the art.
The remaining varieties of the bear family found in India are somewhat more rare than those already described. They are the Burmese bear (Ursus malayanus), the Beluchistan bear (Ursus gedrosianus), called by the natives ‘mamh,’ and a quaint looking piebald bear (Ailuropus melanoleucos), discovered in Eastern Thibet by the Abbé David. U. malayanus resembles the Himalayan black bear but is smaller, the white horse-shoe mark upon the chest of the Himalayan bear being prolonged in a white stripe down the belly of U. malayanus. U. gedrosianus also resembles, but is smaller than, the Himalayan, but in colour he is brownish instead of black.
Measurements
| Authority | Height at shoulder | Length nose to tail | Girth | Forearm | Sex |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ursus Isabellinus | |||||
| ins. | ins. | ins. | ins. | ||
| Major FitzHerbert | 36 | 65 | 48 | 17 | Male |
| ” | .. | 57 | .. | .. | Female |
| Major Ward | .. | 82 | .. | .. | .. |
| Ursus torquatus | |||||
| Major Ward | .. | 78 | .. | .. | .. |
| Col. Howard | .. | 76½ | .. | .. | .. |
| Authority | Height at shoulder | Length nose to tail | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ursus labiatus | |||
| ins. | ins. | lbs. | |
| Sanderson | 36 | about 72 | 280 |
| Sterndale | about 36 | 60 to 72 | 210 to 280 |
| Major FitzHerbert | .. | 65 | .. |
| Ursus malayanus | |||
| Sterndale | .. | not exceeding 54 | .. |
| Ailuropus melanoleucos | |||
| Sterndale | about 26 | about 58 | .. |
III. THE LION (Felis leo)
Native names: ‘Sher-babbar,’ ‘Singh,’ ‘Unthia Bagh’
The Indian lion differs little in appearance from the African variety, the males of both being furnished with manes, though a black mane is unknown in India.