66 Merriam Preliminary Synopsis of American Bears. 



another, and seem to be the only ones whose distinctive char 

 acters are of sufficient weight to entitle them to subgeneric 

 recognition. 



1. The Polar or Ice bear, Thalarctos maritimus (Linn.), inhabits 

 the Arctic shores and islands of both continents and has not 

 been subdivided. 



2. The Black bears may be separated into at least 4 species 

 having more or less circumscribed geographic ranges : (a) the 

 common Black bear, Ursus americanus Pallas; (6) the Louisiana 

 bear, Ursus luteolus Griffith ; (c) the Florida bear, Ursus floridanus 

 nob. ; and (d) the St. Elias bear, Ursus emmonsi Dall. Some of 

 these may be found to intergrade, and Ursus americanus may be 

 still further split into subspecies. Ursv-s emmonsi, recently de 

 scribed by Dr. Dall as a ' variety ' of americanus* I have not 

 seen. From the description it appears to be a distinct species. 



3. The Grizzly bears (including the Barren Ground bear) may 

 be separated into 4 more or less well-marked forms, as follows : 

 (a) the true Grizzly, Ursus horribilis Ord, from the northern Rocky 

 Mountains; (6) the Sonoran Grizzly, i var. horriseus' Baird, prob 

 ably only a subspecies; (c) the Norton Sound, Alaska, Grizzly, 

 probably another subspecies ; (d) the very distinct Barren Ground 

 bear, Ursus richardsoni Mayne Reid. Whether or not the large 

 Grizzly from southern California deserves subspecific separation 

 from the Sonoran animal (horriseus) has not been determined. 



4. The Sitka bear, Ursus sitkensis nob., and the allied Yakutat 

 bear, Ursus dalli nob., are the representatives of a very distinct 

 type. They resemble the Grizzlies in the flatness of their skulls, 

 but are much larger, are different in color, have more curved fore- 

 claws, and the Sitka bear has a different type of sectorial tooth. 

 The Yakutat bear is much larger than the Sitka bear and has 

 very different teeth. It may represent an independent section. 



5. The Kadiak and Alaska Peninsula bear, Ursus middendorffi 

 nob., is the largest of living bears and differs markedly from all 

 other American species. It closely resembles the Great Brown 

 bear of Kamschatka, Ursus beringiana Middendorff,f which it 

 only slightly exceeds in size. The extraordinary elevation and 

 narrowness of the forehead suffice to distinguish this bear from 

 all other known species (PI IV, fig. 2). 



The number of full species of North American bears here recog- 



* Science, NS., vol. II, No. 30, p. 87, July 26, 1895. 

 f Ursus beringiana Middendorff, 1851 Ursus piscator Pucheran, 1855. 

 Both are from Kamschatka. 



