414 MR. E. lybeekSu ox the [-^pr. 6, 



and skull of the Blue Bear of Tibet, the former of which is mounted 

 and exhibited in the Mammal Galler3\ As this Bear has never been 

 figured, I think the accompanying coloured figure of this specimen 

 (Plate XXYII.) will be acceptable to naturalists, in order that 

 they may see for themselves its veiy peculiar type of coloration. 

 The skin and skull belong to a sub-adult animal of comparatively 

 small size ; the permanent molar dentition, although fully pro- 

 truded, being practically unworn. The hair oji the back and flanks 

 is long, but that on the lower part of the legs shorter : and it 

 seems probable that the animal was killed in winter dress. As 

 regards coloration, the specimen is unlike any other member of the 

 Urstis arctus group that has ever come under my notice ; the hue 

 of the hair being either white or black, or a mixture of both. 

 Thus on the face and fore part of the body \\\\\te largely pre- 

 dominates, although in places there are some black hairs, and 

 these are more strongly developed about the forehead, ears, and 

 the fore part of the nape. On the hind nape is a pure white 

 band, or collar, followed by a nearly black transversely elliptical 

 patch above the shoulder-blades. Over the rest of the body the 

 hair is mingled black and white, so as to present a bluish tinge ; 

 and the hind Umbs are similar, although the lower parts of the fore 

 legs are almost black. The claws are whitish. 



As regards the skull, the large size of the last lower premolar, 

 which is such a characteristic tooth in the genus, clearly indicates 

 that this Bear is a member of the U. arctus group. Nothing very 

 distinctive ap])ears in the other teeth, although the last lower 

 molar has the elongation generally found in the Himalayan Brown 

 Bear. The cusps of all the cheek-teeth are relatively tall, but not, 

 1 think, more so than in some specimens of other members of the 

 group. The upper carnassial is also proportionately large, but 

 some examples of the Himalayan form come very close in tliis 

 particular. The skull has a nearly straight profile, and in this 

 respect differs very remarkably from crania of the same age of the 

 Himalayan Brown Bear, in which there is a very sudden rise at the 

 front border of the orbits, with a median depression at the root of 

 the nasals. 



The diff(^reuce in the coloration of the skin from that of the speci- 

 men described by Mr. Blauford is so great, that I have no hesitation 

 in regarding the British Museum exampleas belonging to a distinct 

 form, this being Blyth's (Jrsus pruinosus. And I may add that 

 Mr. Blanford agrees with me on this point, and considers that the 

 skin he described under that name belongs to a large brown or 

 grizzly Bear, — perhaps U. arctus isabellimis or U. arctus collaris. 

 I have never seen a Himalayan Bear with any approach to the 

 coloration of the specimen now described, and, taking also into 

 consideration the characters of the skull, it seems to me that the 

 Tibetan Blue Bear differs more from the typical U. arctus than 

 does any other Old World member of the group. AVith regard to 

 the proper name for this form, I am in some difiiculty, seeing that 

 U. pruinosKS, Blanford. belongs to another form. I find, ho\Aever, in 



