July 26, 1895.] 



SCIENCE. 



87 



may beloug, is the deadly enemy of science. In 

 striving for the attainment of these objeets, I have 

 been but one among many, and I shall be well con- 

 tent to be remembered, or even not remembered, as 

 such. ' ' 



TEE ST. ELIA8 BEAR. 



A BEAR has been for some time reported 

 as frequenting the vicinity of the glaciers 

 of the St. Elias Alpine region, which is re- 

 garded by the Indians and hunters as a dis- 

 tinct species from either the black or the 

 large brown bear of Alaska. It is of mod- 

 erate size, the largest skins not exceeding- 

 six feet in length, and is reported to be shy 

 and less fierce than either of the others. 

 The examination of four well preserved 

 trapper's skins of this animal in the pos- 

 session of Major Turner, of Sitka, has con- 

 vinced me that we have to do with an ani- 

 mal which is unlike either of the common 

 bears of the region, and specifically distinct 

 from the brown bear of Alaska, which has 

 been cited of late under the name of Ursus 

 Richardsonii of Mayne Eeid, though per- 

 haps forming a separate race fi-om the typi- 

 cal Barren Ground bear. Whether the St. 

 Elias bear forms a distinct species from the 

 black bear is doubtful, but it is at least a 

 well defined local race, to which I have 

 seen no approximation among the thousands 

 of black bear skins which I have examined 

 in past years in the hands of traders in this 

 Territory. J^s such it seems desirable to 

 call attention to it by such a description as 

 is practicable at this time. 



The general color of the animal resembles 

 that of a silver fox. The fur is not very 

 long, but remarkably soft and with a rich 

 under fur of a bluish black shade, numbers 

 of the longer hairs being white, or having 

 the distal half white and the basal part slaty. 

 The dorsal line from the tip of the nose to the 

 rump, the back of the very short ears, and 

 the outer faces of the limbs, are jet black. 

 Numerous long white hairs issue ft-om the 

 ears ; black and silver is the prevalent pelage 



of the sides, neck and rump ; the under sur- 

 face of the belly and the sinuses behind the 

 limbs are grayish white, or even nearly pure 

 white, I am told, in some cases. The sides 

 of the muzzle and the lower anterior part 

 of the cheeks are of a bright tan color, a 

 character I have not seen in anj^ other 

 American bear ; and this character is said 

 to be invariable. There is no tint of brown 

 elsewhere in the pelage. There is no tail 

 visible on the pelts. The claws are small, 

 very much curved, sharp, black above and 

 lighter below ; the animal evidently can 

 climb trees, which the brown bear cannot 

 do. 



This bear is known to range about the 

 St. Elias glaciers, especially near Yakutat, 

 and a single specimen has been killed on 

 the mountains as far east as Jureau. About 

 thirty-five skins have been brought to Sitka, 

 mostly fi'om Yakutat. A mounted skin, 

 the only one known as yet (said to contain 

 the skull), is in the possession of Mr. Frank 

 A. Bartlett, of Port Townshend, Wash. 



My attention was called to this animal 

 by Lieut. G. T. Emmons, U. S. N"., well 

 known in connection with the fine collection 

 of Alaskan ethnology in the American Mu- 

 seum of New York ; and I would suggest 

 the varietal name of Emmonsii for the St. 

 Elias bear. It is also known among the 

 fur dealers here as the Glacier, or the Blue 

 bear. I hope to be able to secure speci- 

 mens of the skin and skull for the National 

 Museum, through the Yakutat hunters, 

 later. 



It is worthy of note that the Indians re- 

 port another animal unknown to natural- 

 ists, on the higher mountains of the main- 

 land. It is said to resemble the mountain 

 sheep and to have horns nearly as long but 

 almost sti-aight, like those of an ibex. 

 Lieut. Emmons is confident that these re- 

 ports have a basis in fact. 



Wm. H. Dall. 



Sitka, Alaska, June 28, 1895. 



