490 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF [1897. 



a comparison of the figures of the large horn-cores on Plate XIII of 

 Richardson's work, which he also refers to crassicomis, shows unmis- 

 takable similarity to the horn-cores of the large-horned Alaskan 

 specimen from the University of Pennsylvania, No. 13,754. Not 

 only is the shape and curvature of these horn-cores, as figured by 

 Richardson, remarkably similar to those of No. 13,754, but the 

 measurements of the latter coincide almost exactly with those given 

 for the former. Indeed it would be almost impossible in a series of 

 hundreds of such skulls to find two individuals so nearly alike. 



As has already been pointed out, we cannot account for the dif- 

 ference between Richardson's type skull of crassicomis and the large 

 horn-cores which he attributes to a male of the same species, on the 

 ground of sex. There is little doubt that the Beechey type specimen 

 of crassicomis is of a male, and that the small, rounded horn-core, 

 which Richardson figured on Plate XIII in contrast with the large 

 ones under the name " B. priscus," is of a female antiquus (—crass- 

 icomis). An exactly similar specimen of same size and curvature 

 with its accompanying sheath is in the collection of the Academy, 

 being presented by Dr. B. Sharp, who secured it at Elephant Point, 

 Kotzebue Sound, Alaska. It is also worthy of mention that these 

 supposed female horns show a close analogy in their slenderness, 

 length and deep sulcation of cores as compared with that of the 

 supposed male specimens of " crassicomis " from the same locality, 

 to the same characters in B. bison. 



From the foregoing we may arrive at the following conclusions : 

 a. B. crassicomis, as described and figured by Richardson, is a com- 

 posite species ; b. The name crassicomis was " first applied " and 

 "primarily related" to a type specimen "No. 1 A," PI. IX, $ , 

 which has been determined to be specifically the same as the type 

 of an earlier named species, B. antiquus, of which, therefore, B. 

 crassicomis becomes a synonym ; c. Therefore, Canon XXVIII, and 

 "affirmation (f)," A. O. U. Code, the name crassicomis cannot ap- 

 ply to the other and large-horned species enumerated under that 

 name by Richardson ; d. It having been demonstrated that this 

 large-horned species is identical with the Alaskan specimen, No. 

 13,754, which differs in many essential characters from any bison 

 yet named, therefore it is proposed to designate this species as: 



Bison alaskensis sp. now Great Alaskan Bison. PI. XII, figs. 3 and 6. 



Type from "Tundra back of Point Barrow, Alaska." Ad. £ , 

 No. 13,754, Col. of Mus. of Sci. and Art, Univ. of Penna. Basal 

 part of cranium with attached horn-cores in good condition. 



