ROSS' SEAL. 



43 



' Morning ' Collection. 



Meamimnents taken by Dr. Davidson. 



In No. 46 of the ' Discovery ' collection the diameter was taken from side to side 

 with callipers at every twelve inches of the animal's length. This gives the pro- 

 portions of the animal in the Hesh. 



Diameter from side to side : — 



At a point 1 ft. from tip of nose 13 ins. 



2 ft. „ „ 21 ins. 



3 ft. „ „ 221 ius. 

 „ 4 ft. „ „ 20 ins. 

 ,, ;■) ft. „ .. 18 ins. 



Position of Penis. 

 At a point ft. from tip of nose 12^ ins. 

 7 ft. „ „ 10 ins. 



In the ' Discovery ' series the only female is larger than two of the five males, but 

 it must be noted also that whereas these males are young adults, the female is a very 

 old one. It is unfortunate that the skins and skulls obtained l)y the ' Southern Cross ' 

 are unsexed and cannot be included in this comparison, and that the four skins brought 

 home by the Belgian Expedition range only from 52 inches to 58 inches, obviously 

 animals which were not full grown, and a most unfortunate series from which to 

 estimate the average size of Ommatophoca. 



The greatest length of any specimen that has come under my observation is 130j 

 inches, the skin of the animal mentioned Ijy Mr. Bernacchi as being nearly eleven feet 

 in length, in the Hesh. This animal, almost certainly a male, was of a brownish hue, 

 with a pale throat and chin. One other skin of the ' Southern Cross ' collection, which 

 measured 92 inches in length, was also certainly a male, and was of a blackish grey 

 colour with a blackish chin and throat which faded gradually into the paler grey of the 

 chest and abdomen. If these two skins are included in my list of mea.su rements, the 

 males on the whole may be taken to be distinctly larger than the females, and in size 

 equal to that of Weddell's Seal and exceeding that of the average Crab-eater. 



With a capability of reaching close on 1 1 feet, it is the more remarkable that out 

 of thirteen specimens none bigger than 4 feet 10 inches should have been brought 

 home by the Belgian Expedition. In shape Ross' Seal is quite distinct from the 

 other Antarctic seals, as can be well seen in the photographs which have been published, 



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