THE SEA ELEPHANT. 59 



example, Leptonychotes, Stenorhinchus, or Lohodon. In this respect MacrorJtinus is 

 more like the Otariidse, and so less differentiated from land mammals, and less 

 specialised for a purely marine life. 



In direct opposition to the above facts, which are drawn mainly from the life 

 history of the animal, Professor Flower drew up a series of osteological characters 

 which, in his opinion, showed that the Sea Elephant has developed seal-like char- 

 acteristics more perfect than in any other form. These are l)riefly as follows : — 



The shortness of the femur. 



The want of development of the calcaneal process. 



The articulation of the fifth metacarpal with the proximal row of carpal bones. 



The development of claws on both feet(?). 



The length of toes in hind limb, and extent of lobe behind the claws, for swimming purposes. 



The ossification of all the phalanges, except the ungual, from three centres, instead of only from a 



proximal. 

 Its dentition presents an extreme form from other mammals, Stenorhinchus showing the perfection of 



the modification, and Blacrorhinus the extreme form beyond it. 

 The form of the brain cavity, very wide posteriorly compared with its length, thus much modified 



from Otariidm and land carnivora. 



2 2 • 



It is true, no doubt, that in the reduction of its incisor teeth to _- and in the 



rudimentary or transitional condition of the cheek teeth, Macrorlunus is removed 

 from any approach to the stable and characteristic dentition of the Otariidse, or even 

 of some of the Phocidae, but it is an open question whether we are justified in making 

 the teeth a character of such paramount importance in classifying the Pinnipedia, 

 seeing that they are variable to an extraordinary degree. Not only in number, but 

 in shape, size, and character, as well as in the number of the roots, there is hardly a 

 species which does not give a most unusual number of variations. 



AECTOCEPHALUS HOOKEPJ. 



Hooker s Sea- Lion, 



(Plate IV.). 



Arctocephalus hookeri, Gray, Zool. Voy. Ereb. and Terr., PL XIV., XV. ; Hutton and Drummond, 



Animals of New Zealand, 1004, p. 36. 

 Fhocarctos hookeri, Allen, Hist. N. Amer. Pinnipeds (1880), p. 209, ihicpie ciiata. 



List of Material in the 'Discovery' Collection. 



No. 27, ad. skin and skull ? . March 20, 1004. Laurie Harbour, Auckland Islands. (Seals, 



Plate IV.). 

 No. 31, ad. skin and skull 9 • JVIarch 20, 1904. Laurie Harbour, Auckland Islands. 

 No. 44, juv. skin and skull $ . March 20, 1904. In process of moulting the red hair in which 

 it was born. (Seals, Plate IV.). Euderby Island, Auckland Islands. The skull contains 

 several mUk teeth. 

 The colouring of the soft parts is as follows : — 

 Iris, dark brown. 



Uncovered portions of the hind and fore limbs, all black. 

 Nails, dark brown. 



L I 6 



