Brehm's Life of animals - a complete natural history for popular home instruction and for the use of schools. Mammalia (1896) (20225408478)

Title: Brehm's Life of animals : a complete natural history for popular home instruction and for the use of schools. Mammalia
Identifier: brehmslifeofanim1896breh (find matches)
Year: 1896 (1890s)
Authors: Brehm, Alfred Edmund, 1829-1884; Pechuel-Loesche, Edward, 1840-1913; Haacke, Wilhelm, 1855-1912; Schmidtlein, Richard
Subjects: Mammals; Animal behavior
Publisher: Chicago : Marquis
Contributing Library: Internet Archive
Digitizing Sponsor: Internet Archive



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262 THE BEASTS OF PREY. The Sloth Bears' The food of the Sloth Bear consists Pood and How almost exclusively of vegetable sub- They Get It. stances and smaller animals, espe- cially invertebrates, and he is said to eat eggs and small birds only occasionally. All naturalists agree in asserting that he never attacks larger animals with a view to eating them, except that Sanderson and McMaster tell experiences where Bears had eaten part of a Stag which had been shot, and another time of an Ox killed by a Tiger. Cubs reared in captivity wiilingly eat raw and cooked meat, however. Various roots and fruits of all kinds, the much prized pulpy buds of the Mohra tree or broad-leaved Bassia, Bees' nests, of which the combs and grubs taste as sweet as the honey to him, Cater- pillars, Snails and Ants form his principal sustenance, and his long curved claws are of great service to him in searching for and digging out hidden roots or excavating Ant-hills. He even destroys the wonder- fully built fastnesses of the White Ants and in such mammals, including Man, in the most cruel waj before eating them. He is said to hug his victims close with his arms and claws and then to break their limbs one after another deliberately and while constantly sucking them with his lips. As a rule he avoids Man; but his slowness not infrequently pre- vents his flight and then, either from fear or with the instinct of self-preservation, he assumes the offen- sive. His attacks become so dangerous under these circumstances that the Cingalese consider him the most-terrible of animals. Sanderson writes: "Sloth Bears are not harmless to unarmed people. Wood cutters and other people who follow their vocation in the forest and the jungle often fare very badly in their encounters with these Bears. Like all wild animals they are most dangerous when surprised, for then, actuated by fright and fear, they may attack a Man." The animal is hunted in various ways. His trail is easily recognized in the morning in the dewy grass
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THE AILUROPUS. This is a very rare animal which was first discovered by Pere David in 1869 in eastern Tibet. It has a clumsy body with very long fur and very short tail. The fur is for the greater part white, but the black markings are peculiar, the ears, a ring around the eyes and the limbs being black, and a wide strip extending from the front legs up to the shoulders is also black. It is said to feed princi- pally on roots, bamboos and other vegetable food. (Ailiiropus melanolcucus.) a case plays sad havoc among the young swarm Sanderson also relates that in some localities the Aswals visit the groves of wild date-trees, where palm-wine is manufactured. They climb the trunks of the trees, which are from eighteen to twenty-four feet high, up to the very tops, upon which are hung the vessels which catch the outflowing juice ; they tilt the filled vessels with their paws until they can drink the contents. A few quarts of the liquid might not be begrudged them if they did not break so many vessels while making their clumsy thefts. People who sustain the loss say that the thieves do not go to the trouble of climbing down, but simply let themselves fall to the ground, and further state that they often get fairly intoxicated with the wine. 8loth Bears Tenncnt's communications concern- Sometimes Very ing the habits of the Sloth Bear are Dangerous. not absolutely confirmed by recent accounts. In East India the Bear is said to torment and shrubs, and may be readily followed, or one may find his den, and there await his return from his noc- turnal prowlings; or may systematically search a stretch of jungle where Bears are sure or likely to be found, and shoot them when they are driven out into the open ground. Captiue Sloth The Sloth Bear has been repeatedly Bears Become observed in captivity, in India as well Very Docile. as jn Europe. In his native country his docility is utilized by mountebanks and jugglers, and like Bruin he is trained to perform all kinds of tricks. He is kept on milk, bread, fruit and meat, and usually comes to the conclusion that he decid- edly prefers bread and fruit to other food. Curled up like a sleeping Dog he rolls from one side to the other, jumps around, turns somersaults, walks erect and makes the queerest faces when food is offered him. He also impresses one as being com- paratively good-natured, familiar and honest.