VOL. XIII, PP. 53-56 MAY 29, 1899 



PROCEEDINGS 



OK THK 



BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON 



A NEW FOSSIL BEAR FROM OHIO.* 

 BY GERRIT S. MILLER, JK. 



The United States National Museum has recently purchased 

 from Mr. \V. G. Roberts, of Middletown, Ohio, the skull of an 

 extinct bear found by workmen on the farm of a Mr. Sommers, 

 near Overpeck Station, on the C. H. & D. R. R., four miles from 

 Hamilton, Butler County, Ohio. In regard to the discovery of 

 the specimen, Mr. Roberts writes : " The man who found it was 

 digging a well. When twenty-three feet from the surface he 

 found the skull lying on what appeared to be a nest of petrified 

 sticks." Attem pts to secure some of these ' petrified sticks ' have 

 thus far failed. 



The skull, that of a very aged individual, probably a female, 

 represents a species somewhat smaller than a black bear. It lacks 

 the lower jaw, but is otherwise only slightly imperfect. Part of 

 the left zygomatic arch is missing, and the left occipital condyle 

 is broken away. These injuries are of ancient date. The pos 

 terior region of the palate was crushed in by the shovel or pick 

 that dislodged the skull from the gravel in which it was im 

 bedded. At the same time the occiput was severely cracked 

 and the right zygomatic arch broken. The pieces, however, fit 

 togetheraccurately. Six teeth remain in place the canines, the 

 posterior premolars, and the posterior molars. All traces of 

 tubercles had been worn from the crowns of the grinding teeth 

 before the animal's death. 



The skull differs from that of any living American bear in its 

 long, low rostrum, deeply concave forehead, small braincase, 



* Published by permission of the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution. 



H BIOL. Soc. WASH., VOL. XIII, 1899 (53) 



