Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 35, Number 74, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 May 1903 — CANNOT FIND ITS SPECIES. [ARTICLE]

CANNOT FIND ITS SPECIES.

Singular Animal Brought from the Bast Indies Puzzles Naturalists. A very fine example of the blnturong (arctictls binturong) has just been received at the zoological gardens and placed in the small mammal-house, says the London Standard. This curious animal is a native of the East Indies, ranging from Assam souniwanj through Siam and the Malay peninsula to Sumatra and Java. A large specimen will measure about five feet in total length, of which the tail counts for nearly a half. The long, coarse hair is black, but there is a gray wash on the head and and there is a little white over the eyes and on the throat; the ears are short and carry long tufts of hair. Its English book name, “bear cat,” is modeled on its generic appellation and yecords the difficulty early naturalists experienced .in ascertaining the animal’s true place in their schemes of classification.

Although it was at one time placed with the bears, it is now regarded as closely allied to the palm civets. In matters of diet the blnturong is not hard to please. When opportunity serves it will take small mammals, birds, insects and worms; When these cannot be secured It will support Itself on fruits, and in captivity it will take fruit qf all kinds readily. The binturong is more active by night than in the daytime, and lives almost entirely among the branches of the trees of the forest regions in which it is found. It is remarkable as being the only true mammal of the eastern hemisphere which has a prehensile tail. It cau wind this organ around a branch and thus the tall aids the auinml in its arboreal life. Blyth showed, many years ago, that the ypung of this species could hang on to a bough by the tip of the tail. Whether the adults can suspend themselves in this manner has been doubted. There can. however, be no question that the tall is of considerable service to them, and that they use this “fifth hand” as a holdfast. The example which has just arrived at the gardens is nearly adult, and, though somewhat shy, is fairly tame, for, with a little coaxing, it will come to the front of the cage to take fruit from visitors. Like all new arrivals, however, it is somewhat distrustful. If one advances too near it darts forward with a splitting noise, like an angry cat, while the paw delivers a lound-handed blow, like that of a bear.