330 H. GADOW, 



There is a collection of local objects of natural history at Pon- 

 ferrada, in the Museo del Instituto. Many of the animals are wrongly 

 named, but they are in a decent State of preservation. The apothe- 

 cary fills the professorial chair of natural history. The zoological 

 collection at Lugo, although in a large, airy room of the.fine Govern- 

 ment building, is miserable, the few specimens being in an abominable 

 condition. 



The University collection at Santiago is extremely well kept, and, 

 what is rarer still, the specimens are correctly named. Unfortunately the 

 authorities are reluctant to pay much attention to the local fauna, 

 which could be well represented at little cost; they prefer to spend 

 a great deal of the little money available on sensational specimens, 

 as for instance a tiger. 



Local vernacular names should always be ascertained by travell- 

 ing naturalists, as they are of importance not only from a zoological, 

 but equally so from a linguistic and historical point of view. I have 

 found their study most interesting» The aboriginal Basques and Kelts, 

 the Romans, Goths and Arabs have all contributed to the vernacular 

 nomenclature of the Spanish fauna. 



Vrsus arctos. Bear. „Oso u and „Osa". 



Bears still occur not unfrequently all along the Cantabrian ränge 

 of mountains. On the central chain of Spanish mountains they seem 

 to be rarer. There are none now in Portugal. Formerly, as lately 

 as the 16th Century, betöre the devastation of the forests, the bear 

 seems to have had a much wider distribution in the Peninsula. The 

 armorial bearings of the town of Madrid show a tree and a bear and 

 the surrounding woods were known as the haunts of this animal, 

 Madrid has a good right to its armorial bearings, while the bear of 

 Berlin owes its existence in great measure to an etymological mis- 

 take. 



The School Museum of Ponferrada possesses a large stufifed bear, 

 which was killed in the very outskirts of the town in March 1878. 

 Some people who were working in the fields, came across the animal, 

 which they gallantly but imprudently attacked with their hatchets. 

 The bear retired into a small farm, and when she saw herseif still 

 pursued, entered into the combat, embraced and killed one man, and 

 wounded another badly on the hand. There upon the labourers pro- 

 cured help from the town and a large number of people congregated 

 around the farm, which in the meantime the bear, however, had left. 



