REPORT ON THE SEALS. 81 



are more elongated than in Gillespie's Seal. The premaxilla articulates with a little more 

 than a third of the outer border of the nasal. The lateral borders of the hard palate are 

 almost parallel so that it is of almost uniform width throughout ; the dentary border is 

 elevated so that the anterior third of the surface is concave, but the posterior third is 

 flattened ; the hinder border is moderately emarginate, though in the adult male a mesial 

 cleft, due to imperfect ossification, separates the two palate bones for a short distance 

 posteriorly ; this border is about midway between the maxillary root of the zygoma and 

 the glenoid fossa, and well in front of the hamular pterygoids. The vomer has the usual 

 arrangement of this bone in the Eared Seals. The tympanies are roughened, and, except 

 a moderate ridge behind, with no special development of processes ; the mastoids are 

 very prominent, separated by a deep groove from the tympanies, and projecting almost 

 vertically downwards. The widest part of the zygomatic arch is at its glenoid end, from 

 which it rapidly diminishes from behind forwards ; in the male the arch is massive 



in relation to the size of the skull. The post-canine dental formula is g— g ; these teeth 



all possess a cingulum, and in addition to the large central cusp both a much smaller 

 anterior and posterior cusp, though in the last upper molar these accessory cusps have 

 almost disappeared. All the post-canines except the first in the lower jaw and the two 

 last in the upper jaw, are set somewhat obliquely in their sockets, but with distinct 

 diastemata in the adults ; the last upper is smaller than the rest and placed distinctly 

 behind the maxillary root of the zygoma. The mandible is massive in the male, with a 

 broad coronoid, a massive quadrangular subcondyloid process and slight angle ; the lower 

 border of the body is thickened and slightly inverted. As regards the pes it should be 

 stated that digits II., III., and IV. have strong black nails ; I. and V. only rudimentary 

 nails. The toes are almost equal in length, though I. and V. are a little shorter than the 

 intermediate toes. The toe-flap of digit I. projected 117 mm. beyond its rudimentary 

 nail. 



The length-breadth index calculated on the interzygomatic width of the adult male 

 skull was 59, of the adult female 55, and of the young skull 55 ; calculated on the width 

 behind the external meatus the indices were 58, 50, and 49 respectively. 



In the number of its post-canine teeth Eumetopias cinereus corresponds with 

 Eumetopias hookeri, but it differs from it in having the anterior and posterior cusps 

 much more distinctly marked and more general, and in so many of the teeth being set 

 obliquely ; further, it has not so great a constriction of the posterior nares and back 

 of the palate as is seen in the latter Seal. Mr. J. W. Clark says that it is distinguished 

 from the Otaria albicollis of Peron by the presence of the anterior and posterior cusps 

 in the post-canine teeth. As regards the species which has been named Otaria albicollis 

 it should be stated that Peters regards both it and an animal named Eumetopias lobatus 

 by Gray as identical with Eumetopias cinereus, and Allen is apparently of the same 



(zool. cuall. exp. — part lxviii. — 1888.) Yyy 11 



