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“ In Ursines the sacro-neural spine in the first vertebra is 
small and short; in the second often almost obsolete, that of 
the third sacral, though small and short, is usually better 
developed, but all remain distinct from each other, with 
well marked intervals, except along their base. 
“No palaeontologist who had ever made this comparison 
could risk the mistaking of a bear’s sacrum for one of a 
bovine quadruped. 
“ Richard Owen.” 
Before leaving Professor Owen I pointed out to him that 
the bone he had taken so much trouble to compare with the 
large series of specimens before him was marked “ Bison, 
W.B.D.,” and had been so named by Professor Dawkins, and 
I also informed him that it had previously been submitted to 
the care of Mr. Wm. Davies, acknowledged to be the most 
experienced comparative osteologist in the Zoological Depart- 
ment in the British Museum, and also to the assistant in 
this department, Mr. Gerrard (who has charge of the 
skeletons), who, although at first inclined to the opinion 
that the bone had the aspect of a bovine sacrum, after 
careful examination, agreed with his colleague Mr. Davies 
in his determination, which is this — “ Undoubtedly the first 
and second sacral vertebrae of the Cave Bear, Ursus 
Spelceus . — Wm. Davies.” 
The last remark of Professor Owen was that this opinion 
from Mr. Wm. Davies was quite sufficient in itself to have 
settled the question of the species of the bone. His own 
remarks had been solely directed to explain the marked 
differences between the sacral bones of oxen and bears. 
The drawings I exhibit to assist in showing the special 
points alluded to by Professor Owen, the specimens of sacral 
vertebrae of oxen, bison, and the sacrum of Cave Bear from 
the Liverpool Museum, to compare with the sacrum from 
Castleton, will, I doubt not, be convincing, and prove beyond 
all doubt that the bone in question was at the first correctly 
described when I named it sacrum of Ursus ftpeloeus. 
