CARNIVORA. 
^81 
THE BEARS. 
The genus ursus includes the largest and most 
powerful of the plantigrade animals. They have six 
incisor teeth, two large and long canine teeth, and 
six cheek-teeth on each side : the first three of these 
are very small, and appear to be almost useless, as 
they do not appear during the nonage of the animal, 
and fall out when it is old : beyond these are the 
three principal teeth, which are rounded, and con- 
sequently ill qualified for tearing flesh ; but, as they 
do eat it, the middle one of these three, or the pen- 
ultimate tooth in the jaw, may be said to correspond 
with the large carnivorous tooth found in the digi- 
tigrade animals ; the last, which would then agree 
with the posterior carnivorous tooth, is the largest 
of them all. The cartilage of their nose is length- 
ened, moveable, and hard, which assists them to 
burrow their retreats in the earth. 
The body, in most of the species, is covered with 
long, thick hair ; the head is large ; the ears are 
small, and slightly pointed ; the tongue is smooth ; 
and all the feet have five toes. 
