Miscellaneous. 183 



inch in each direction, and so deep that it is only separated from the 

 inner surface of the jaw by a thin translucent layer of bone. 



In the more perfect adult skull the upper jaw is furnished with three 

 nearly equal small false grinders, which are so compressed together 

 that the middle one is on the outside of the other two. The front one 

 is rather larger than the other two ; but they are very nearly equal 

 and have a slightly lobulated surface. The lower jaw has three 

 similar, but rather larger lobulated teeth placed rather further apart, 

 the two in front being the closest, and the front one rather the 

 largest, and very close on the back edge of the canine. 



It is very clear that this bear should not be referred to Helarctos, 

 which ought to be thus characterized : — ■ 



1. Helarctos, Horsfield ; Gray, Cat. Carniv. &c. p. 234. 

 False grinders 1.1 in the upper and 2 . 2 in the lower jaw : 

 the upper one small, at the base of the canine, between it and the 

 front edge of the flesh-tooth ; the two lower ones smaller. Scar of 

 the temporal muscle subtriangular, occupying the greater part of the 

 end of the lower jaw, gradually shelving into the surface of the jaw. 

 Claws compressed, very much curved. 



Helarctos malayanus, Gray, Cat. Carniv. p. 234. 



There is no difference between the skulls of Ursus malayanus and 

 U. euryspilus. 



As the skulls of the Malay bear in the Museum had lost their false 

 grinders, in the paper on bears in the ' Proceedings of the Zoological 

 Society ' I took the account of them from De Blainville's figure of 

 Ursus ornatus, which had them all complete ; and therefore they do 

 not agree with the proper generic character of Helarctos of Horsfield. 



2. Neakctos. 

 False grinders in upper jaw 3 . 3, crowded together between the 

 canine and the base of the flesh-tooth, forming an arched line, the 

 middle one being more outward : in the lower jaw 4 . 4, conical, 

 slightly 3-lobed, in a straight continuous line ; the two middle equal, 

 small ; the front larger, and the hindermost largest. The scar of 

 the temporal muscle oblong, deep, with a well-marked raised margin 

 on its front edge, separating it from a large deep concavity on 

 the hinder part of the outer surface of the jaw, which is only 

 separated from the inner surface by a thin translucent layer of bone. 



Nearctos ornatus. 



Helarctos ornatus, Gray, Cat. Carniv. p. 236. 



Hah. Cordilleras ( Whitely). 



De Blainville seems to have overlooked the peculiarity of the form 

 of the lower jaw in the young skull which he figured (t. viii.), although 

 it is represented in the figure, but not nearly so well defined as in the 

 adult specimens ; and I was induced by his observations to refer this 

 bear to the genus Helarctos before I had the opportunity of observing 

 its skull. And he appears also to have overlooked the differences in 

 the numbers of the false grinders, although the artist figures them. 



