BEARS 509 



ground in walking. The skull and teeth are likewise very peculiar and 

 distinctive, although these need not be taken into consideration in this 

 place. 



In consequence of the marked similarity to one another of most 

 members of the group, it is a matter of extreme difficulty to come to a 

 definite conclusion as to the number of species of bears not that this 

 is a matter of very much importance one way or another. The typical 

 member of the group is the familiar brown bear (Ursiis arctus} of 

 Europe, whose colour is generally a darker or lighter shade of brown, 

 but occasionally tends to greyish. The Syrian bear (U. arctus syriacus]^ 

 in which this greyish tinge predominates, may be regarded as a local 

 variety, and the same is the case with the snow -bear of Kashmir 

 (U. arctus isabellinus), in which the colour is generally a light creamy 

 brown. European specimens probably seldom exceed 8 feet, but the 

 Siberian and Kamchatkan bears (U. arctus collaris or piscator] grow to 

 9 feet. Even more gigantic is the Kodiak bear (U. arctus midden- 

 dorfi) of Kodiak Island, Alaska ; while the Yezo bear (U. arctus 

 yesoensis] of Japan is another large race, with much the external 

 appearance of a grizzly. The Alaskan bear (U. arctus dalli), from the 

 mainland of Alaska, is also a huge animal, slightly smaller* than the 

 one from Kodiak Island, with more resemblance to an ordinary brown 

 bear than to a grizzly. The typical grizzly of the Rocky Mountains 

 is a smaller animal, with longer and straighter claws, but scarcely 

 entitled to rank as more than another local race (U. arctus horribilis\ 

 next to which comes the Barren Ground bear (U. arctus richardsoni}. 

 Finally, the last animal which can be included in this group of the 

 genus is the African bear (U. arctus crowtJieri\ of North- Western 

 Africa, still imperfectly known. The extinct cave-bear (U. spel&us} is 

 a large species allied to the brown bear. It is noteworthy that the 

 bears of Alaska are much closer to the brown bear of N.E. Asia and 

 Europe than is the grizzly, which is just what would be expected, and 

 indicates the propriety of regarding all as local races of a single 

 species. 



The little blue bear (U. pruinosus) of Tibet, with more or less of 

 white on the head and shoulders, seems to form a distinct species. The 

 same is the case with the American black bear (U. americanus}, which 

 is generally black, and exhibits distinctive features in the skull and 

 teeth. Not improbably the Himalayan black bear (U. torquatus*} is a 

 relative of the last-named species ; it may be recognised by the con- 

 spicuous white gorget on the breast. In Japan it is represented by the 

 Japanese black bear ( U. japonicus). The smallest species of the genus. 



