351 
monstrosity, and not to be considered as characteristic of 
uncertainty, as I cannot bring myself to believe that each 
species of animal has not a definite number of teeth assigned 
to it. I am aware that in some species of the genus Ursus, 
as spelseus for instance, there are in early life, small premolars, 
which become obliterated as the animal approaches maturity. 
In the Bornean Bear skull, which I possess, there are three 
minute premolars on each side, which are also temporary, as 
I presume from their extremely small size, which would 
render them comparatively useless in an adult. In the Irish 
skulls, however, under consideration, the individuals to 
which they belonged had evidently been mature, if not aged, 
and, therefore, the premolars were permanent and definite. 
Another point connected with the premolars, is their posi- 
tion relative to the canine teeth, which it would be pre- 
posterous to suppose is uncertain. In all the other teeth the 
position is constant ; and I am not aware of any instance 
which could be cited to prove that the same regularity does 
not prevail with the premolars also. In this peculiarity 
again, the two skulls differ considerably as to the space 
between the first premolar and the canine tooth, which is a 
circumstance not to be overlooked as an accidental occurrence 
merely, but on the contrary, may be considered as affording 
additional evidence of distinction. 
Should my conjecture, therefore, prove correct as to the 
specific difference of the larger skull, it will be the means of 
adding another species of bear to the extinct Fauna of Ire- 
land : * a greater number of the genus than is now existing, 
or has previously existed (as far as we know), in any one 
locality on the globe. And as the Mammoth is now known 
to have been a former inhabitant of the primaeval Irish 
forests, and the Hippopotamus of its swamps and marshes, it 
is not too much to expect that when the limestone caverns of 
* Speloeus, Arctos, Maritimus, and rianafrons* 
EE 
