286 Bibliogra'pMcal Notices. 



palmndica, a new sj^eeies (Liitra hatliygnallins), and the Lvtra s'lva- 

 lensis, AA'hich Ealconer and Cautley relerred to Enhi/ch-iodon, but Mr. 

 Ljdekker finds that it agrees with the existing otter in the form of the 

 skull, although much larger. The chief distinction is in the form of 

 the fourth premolar and the relatively greater size of the canine and 

 outer incisor. Such variations, however, as the other species ex- 

 hibit do not give any indication of their descent from other Carnivora, 

 The bears are a more interesting group of Carnivora, for Professor 

 Gaudry had already indicated the transition between bears and the 

 dogs which are met with in a fossil state. This relationship has been 

 further elaborated by Dr. Pilhol ; and the author tinds an almost 

 complete transition from the true bears through Jli/anarctos, 

 which is essentially a bear, to Dinocyon, and so through Cq)ha- 

 lor/ale, which is related to the dogs, to Canis. Thus the paltc- 

 ontologist finds it impossible to refer bears and dogs to separate 

 families, tind it is this united group which Mr. Lydekker understands 

 by the teim Ursida?. Although the modern bears are plantigrade 

 and pentadai tylate, and the modern dogs digitigrade with only four 

 anterior digits, some of the extinct allies of dogs were both planti- 

 grade and pentadactylate. 



Though thus united the author describes the groups separately : 

 the Ursinae comprise the genera JEhtropiis, Ursns, Arctothermm, 

 Hycenatrtos, and Dinocyon. The last is found in the Middle and 

 Upper Tertiary of North America, and Ardotherium in the newest 

 Tertiary of South America. The living bears are found over the 

 greater part of the world, with the exception of Australasia and a 

 large part of Africa. The earliest a])pearauce of Ursvs in Europe 

 is in the lower part of the Upper Tertiaiy. In his preliminaiy 

 analysis the author indicates seventeen species, wliile six species 

 originall}' referred to Ursus are now grouped in oilier genera. The 

 bears are divided, according to the relative width of the palatal 

 as])ect of the skull as com])arcd v.'ith the first mnlar, into ^faerodouts 

 and Microd(mts. Among the Siv\alik bears are Ursus Tlieohaldi, which 

 somewhat resembles the Ursus labudus, but has a greater vaulting 

 at the back part of the palate ; it is regarded as the ancestor of 

 the living species. And as the Ursus lahiatus feeds upon insects 

 and fruits, the author sees in the absence of hard substances in the 

 food an explanation of the aborted molar dentition of the living 

 Aswail, and the less developed condition of this character in its 

 fossil ally. Uraus namadims is an old species of the typical Macro- 

 dont type, which is distinguished by the size and character of the 

 last premolar and first and second molar teeth. It most resemlJes 

 the small Ursus muhryanus. but the evidence is not sufficient to 

 prove it to have been the jiarcnt of that tyjie. ITycvnarctos, originally 

 regarded as a beir by Dr. Falconer, is represented by three fossil 

 Indian sjiecies, besides the //. insic/nis of Moutpellier and a species in 

 the Middle Tertiary of Spain. The //. sivalensis is known from the 

 cranium, mandible, and some bones of the extremities ; it has been 

 identified by Professor Flower in the lied Crag of England, though 

 ;Mr. Lydekker regards the identification as doubtful. Another species 



