1911] Swarth: Alaska Expedition of 1909. 147 



recently been advanced by Osgood (1909, pp. 1-3) that possibly 

 the glacier bear is not a species, nor even a subspecies, but merely 

 a color phase of V. americanus. This idea would seem to be 

 distinctly worthy of consideration, for the distinguishing differ- 

 ences of emmonsi are of color only, and in this it seems to be 

 extremely variable. That as a gray phase of the black bear it 

 replaces in Alaska the common cinnamon phase is not borne out 

 by the facts, however; for as mentioned above brown colored 

 examples of U. americanus are of fairly common occurrence on 

 the southern mainland coast. Emmonsi has a curiously limited 

 distribution, specimens having been taken only in the region lying 

 between Lynn Canal and Cape St. Elias. Indians that we ques- 

 tioned in the regions farther south knew nothing of a blue-colored 

 bear, having never seen or heard of any such animal, and such 

 evidence though negative, is worth taking into consideration. 

 Hasselborg informed me that the Yakutat Bay Indians, though 

 aware of their existence did not regard them as different from 

 the black bear. "When pressed for an explanation of the peculiar 

 color they expressed their belief that the gray bears were the 

 very old individuals. Of course while their opinion as to the 

 specific standing of the bear is of little or no value, it is of 

 interest as illustrating the nature of the differences between 

 emmonsi and americanus. They occur in the same region, and 

 appear to be alike in their habits, despite the supposed predilec- 

 tion of the former for the vicinity of glaciers. 



The color of the fur appears to be the only distinguishing 

 characteristic. I am unable to appreciate any difference between 

 skulls of emmonsi and those of americavvs from Yakutat Bay, 

 nor do I find the alleged differences in the claws (supposedly 

 smaller and more curved in emmonsi) to be borne out in the 

 specimens at hand. 



In view of the rarity of the species it seems worth while to 

 place on record brief descriptions of the skins contained in the 

 Museum collection. 



No. 4331, ? ; Anklin River, Yakutat Bay ; May 6, 1908 ; collected 

 by A. Hasselborg. Skin and skull. Very pale ; general body color 

 creamy white. Rump, legs and feet darker, being dark, bluish 

 gray. Toes black, but with scattered white hairs. A dark line 

 from the head along the middle of the back, becoming less dis- 



