418 MH. R. l,YDEKKi)R OS THE [-^pr- 6, 



conclusion that all the liviug forms have been differentiated from 

 one another at a very recent epoch indeed, and probably in the 

 Old World. On the whole, then, I am inclined to regard the 

 various members of the group, with the exception of the Tibetan 

 Blue Bear, as subspecies rather than species '. It is true that in 

 some of the North American Bears the front claws are longer and 

 straighter than in their Old World relatives, but this character 

 does not serve to separate all the American forms as a species 

 apart from all the latter. Neither, if I unite the Old World 

 Bears, can I admit the right of all the American forms to stand as 

 distinct species. I take this opportunity of mentioning that I am 

 inclined to regard many mammals having i*epresentative forms in 

 the two hemispheres as subspecies. This, I think, is the case 

 with the I'oxes, the Wolves, and the AA^easels ; while the Asiatic 

 Wapitis {Cervus eusteplmnus and the allied C. luehdorji) are 

 probably only races of the American G. canadensis. And I also 

 think that the host of species recently made in North America out 

 of the form which used to be known as Tamias asiaticus will come 

 under the same category. I am fully aware that in this view 

 I shall be running atilt at all the modern school of American 

 zoologists ; but I have, at least to some extent, on my side men 

 like Messrs. Blanford and Mivart, to whose opinions I attach the 

 very highest value. And I also side with Huxley that it is a far 

 less important error to overlook differences than not to see 

 resemblances. 



In the following list I ha\'e endeavoured to arrange the Bears of 

 the Ursus acritts group according to my ideas of what their classifica- 

 tion should be. I bave not attempted to give the w hole synonymy, 

 as in several cases I am at loss wiiere to place synonyms. 



1. Uhsus arctus. — Brown Bear. 



Ursus arctos, Linn. Syst. Nat. ed. 12, vol. i. p. G9 (1766). 



Ursus ardus, Blanford, Eauna Brit. Ind., Mamm. p. 194 (1888). 



Under this name I include all the brown, greyish, and grizzled 

 existing Bears. In all these the cheek-teeth are large, the inner 

 tubercle of the upper carnassial is large, the last lower molar has 

 a large talon, and there is a considerable interval between the 

 fourth lower premolar and the canine, in which are situated the 

 three anterior premolars in young individuals. The first lower 

 premolar is very small, and the fourth large and generally fur- 

 nished with two* small tubercles on the inner side, one in advance 

 of and the other behind the main cusp. The lower carnassial is 

 also a large and complex tooth, generally \^ ith accessory cusps on 

 the inner border of its talon. 



With regard to the two inner tubercles on the fourth lower pre- 

 molar, a few words are necessary. As is well known to palseont- 



' If they are regarded as species, Ursus ought to be S])lit up into several 

 genera. 



