190 



NEW SPECIES OF FOSSIL BEAR 



the animal to have been more than adult, and there are also stripes of wear 

 both on its posterior and inner sides. It is 1.4 inch in anteroposterior 

 diameter at the base, and 1 inch transversely. The socket of the first 

 false molar is close behind the canine, that of the second is near the 

 anterior one, and the tooth appears to have been two fanged. There can 

 have been no other false molars besides these two, the sockets of which are 

 close together, and occupy the interval between the canine and carnassier, 

 which is inconsiderable for the size of head, being but 1 .2 inch in length. 



The three rear molars present marked peculiarities. The antepenul- 

 timate or carnassier is of very large size ; it slightly exceeds both of the 

 rear teeth in length, and is about half an inch longer than the correspond- 

 ing tooth of the Ursus Spelceus. Instead of having but two points like the 

 rest of the Bears, it has three, the anterior lobe being well developed as 

 in the higher Carnivora ; and the tubercle of the inside, instead of being to 

 the rear as in the other species, is advanced forwards opposite the middle 

 lobe. It has altogether a great analogy with the corresponding tooth of 

 the Hysena. The teeth of the opposite sides are unequally worn. 



The two rear or tubercular molars are also marked in their form. 

 Instead of being oblong, as in all the other species, with their length 

 greater by a third than the breadth, they are square in our fossil. The 

 penultimate, if any thing, is longer than the rear one, the reverse of which 

 holds in the rest of the genus. It has two tubercles at its outer side as 

 in other species ; at the inside it is somewhat shortened in length, and the 

 cleft between the tubercles is nearly obsolete, so as to give the appearance 

 of one large tubercle. In this respect there is a remote analogy with the 

 corresponding tooth of the Dog, and a deviation from the usual type of the 

 Bears. The last tubercular is as contrasted in form with that of the other 

 species as the carnassier tooth is. At its outer side there are two tubercles 

 to the crown smaller than in the penultimate, as is normal in the genus, and 

 at its inner side a ridge indistinctly divided by three slight furrows. There is 

 no heel to the tooth : The crown is square, and the only part which can be 

 considered as representing a heel or spur is a flattish disk at the inside, 

 alternate with the posterior outer tubercle, and partly opposed to the rear 



