THERE WERE HOBBITS IN THE EARTH IN THOSE DAYS. That's in the Bible, isn't it?

UPDATE: Wieland Willker e-mails:

Yep.
1 Esdras 5:38
... KAI OUC hEUREQHSAN hUIOI hOBBIA ... [i.e., "and the sons of Hobbia were not found"]

I knew they were in there somewhere.