h great care. It so happened that one of the beds
lay over a large ants' nest, and to his dismay he found one morning
a huge pit dug in the centre of it, to the total destruction of all
his tender annuals, by a bear that had wandered through the station
during the night. Tickell describes the operation thus: "On arriving
at an ant-hill the bear scrapes away with the fore-feet till he
reaches the large combs at the bottom of the galleries. He then with
violent puffs dissipates the dust and crumbled particles of the nest,
and sucks out the inhabitants of the comb by such forcible
inhalations as to be heard at two hundred yards distant or more. Large
larvae are in this way sucked out from great depths under the soil."

Insects of all sorts seem not to come amiss to this animal, which
systematically hunts for them, turning over stones in the operation.

The Sloth Bear has usually two young ones at a birth. They are born
blind, and continue so till about the end of the third week. The
mother is a most affectionate parent, defending her offspring with
the greatest ferocity. A she-bear with cubs is always an awkward
customer, and she continues her solicitude for them till they are
nearly full grown. The young ones are not difficult to rear if
ordinary care be taken. The great mistake that most people make in
feeding the young of wild animals is the giving of pure cows' milk.
I mentioned this in 'Seonee' in speaking of a bear:--

"The little brute was as savage as his elders, and would do nothing
but walk to the end of the string by which he was attached to a tent
peg, roll head over heels, and walk in a contrary direction, when
a similar somersault would be performed; and he whined and wailed
just like a child; one might have mistaken it for the puling of some
villager's brat. Milford was going to give it pure cows' milk when
Fordham advised him not to do so, but to mix it with one half the
quantity of water. 'The great mistake people make,' he said, 'who
try to rear wild animals, is to give them what they think is best
for them, viz., good fresh cows' milk, and they wonder that the little
creatures pine away and die, instead of flourishing on it. Cows' milk
is too rich; buffalos' milk is better, but both should be mixed with
water. It does not matter what the animal is: tiger-cub, fawn, or
baby monkey--all require the same caution.'"

I had considerable experience in the bringing up of young things of
all sorts when in th