56 



ANIMALS IN flIENAGERIES. 



The colour of an old male, killed on the shores of the 

 Arctic Sea, was nearly of a uniform yellowish brown, 

 except on the forehead and back, where the tips of the 

 fur were paler. The fur, which was straight, and of 

 the fineness of coarse wool, was giving place to a thin 

 coat of blackish hair. Its forehead was broad and 

 slightly convex, and the arch of the orbit rose conspi- 

 cuously at the root of the nose, which was straight : 

 the legs were long, and the size of the claws inter- 

 mediate between those of the black and the grisly bears ; 

 they projected beyond the hairs, and were more pointed 

 than those of the latter. The following were the prin- 

 cipal dimensions : — From the nose to the root of the 

 'tail, five feet two inches ; the tail, six inches : height, 

 from the sole of the fore foot to the top of the shoulder, 

 two feet nine inches ; the hind quarters were three 

 inches lower.* We are principally induced to consider 

 this a distinct species, and to name it accordingly, from 

 the difference between the profile as above stated, and 

 that of the European brown bear, indicating a corre- 

 sponding diversity in the form of their skulls. 



The Black European Bear. 



Ursus Europceus, Cuvier. 



The black bear, the second species found on the 

 continent of Europe, was long confounded with another 

 of a similar colour, but which is now ascertained to be 

 peculiar to America. From this cause, we can find no 

 authentic documents to illustrate the history of the pre- 

 sent species, since naturalists, in describing its manners, 

 &c., have blended it with the black bear of America, 

 subsequently noticed ; neither do we find any mention 

 of the particular parts of the continent of Europe where 

 it now exists. 



M. Cuvier states, that he never saw more than a 

 single living individual, which he afterwards dissected. 

 It was of considerable magnitude. The colour of the 



* North. Zool. 



