Mcrriam — Dcsn'ipfions of Nc-w Bears from Norik Amerira. ■ U)5 
smaller ami with teeth of al)out the same size. The skull, thou”;h an oM 
male, agrees in size (kmgth) with that of hmialc' tiiaketiHig. 
Ursus shirasi sp. nov. 
'f'l/fip No. L'O.'tOMO (J' old, U. S. Nat. iMn.simm, Itiol. Survey (Collection. 
Killed S(‘|)temher Id, Ihh), at Pyhus May, .\dmiralty Island, hy (ieorge 
Shiras 4th, and presented to Miological Survey. 
Characters . — Size lai’ge (somewhat larger than the largc^st Ursus sil- 
k'nisis); hea<l highly arched; color Idack, except miizzkp which is ilull 
l>rowu; claws dark blue-black, dull, slightly scurfy (not smoothly 
polished as iu the (irizzlies), rather strongly curvc'd and of moderate 
length ( mitldle claw over curve h2 mm., from top of ha.'^e to apex To 
mm.), 4th and dth rounded off on outer side. 
Cranial characters .— Skidl large, l)road, massive, and highly arclu'd ; 
zygomata large, broadly outhowed and rounded (not angular) anteriorlj" 
as well as posteriorly; frontal shield remarkably short and broad (nearly 
twice as broad as long), deeply and ))roadly sulcate, with huge uplifted 
broadly outstauding postorbital processes which arch over the orbits and 
an' strongly decurved apically, completely rooting the orbits; temporal 
ridges beaded, slu)rt, meeting far forward (at least 25 mm. in front of 
fronto-pari(“tal suture); sagittal crest long and high, humped over fronto¬ 
parietal suture, thickened posteriorly; fronto-nasal region dished; rostrum 
l)road and short, sloping strongly ui)ward to meet frontal shield; post¬ 
palatal shelf long; basioccipital and basisphenoid subequal; infrajugal 
process of maxillary obsolescent; coronoid blade broad; ramus strcmgly 
bellied under posterior molar. 
Dentition. — Heavy; canines large, the upi)er47 mm. high above enamel 
line of outer side; pm with tiny cusplet on inner side i)osteriorly ; molars 
large and rather l)road; in''' with large and broad heel ; nu with strongly 
developed cnsplet on inner side of saddle. 
Color. — Kntire animal except muzzle coal black, slunviug when exam- 
iiietl closely a brownish wash along middle of hack ; muzzle from nose 
pad to between eyes dull brown. 
Remarks . — Ursiis shirasi is a very large member of the l-frown Bear 
group. W'hether or not it is always black, like the type specimen, is not 
known. But of all the American hears its skull is the mo.st striking and 
distinctive. The short broad frontal shield rising on each side into huge 
postorbital processes which arch broadly over the orbits serve to distin¬ 
guish it at a glance from all other s{)ecies, rendering close comparisons 
unnecessary. In this connection it is interesting to observe that shirasi 
and its neighbor eulojihns, an inhabitant of the same island, present 
oppo.site extremes of departure from the normal ursine type — enlo]>htis 
having a long narrow skull with slender elongate rostrum, long and nar¬ 
row frontal shield, and insignificant [) 0 .storbitaI proce.sses, while shirasi 
has an exceptionally broad skull with ])road sliort rostrum, excessively 
broad and short frontal shield, and huge massive postorbital processes. 
