84 BULLETIN OF THE 



considerably produced ; tlie teeth, however, -were but moderately worn, the 

 incisors still retaining the groove dividing the surface of the crowns. In 

 the younger male skull the posterior outline of the palatines is but slightly 

 concave, whereas in the other it is deeply and abruptly emarginate in the 

 middle, — as deeply so as in the young (one month old) skulls ; — showing 

 that differences in this respect do not necessarily depend upon differences 

 in age. They also differ in the form of the postorbital processes, in the 

 younger they having nearly the same form as in Eumeiopias, whereas in 

 the older nearly that seen in Zulophus. The postorbital cylinder is also 

 much shorter in the younger, though these two skulls do not present 

 nearly the great difference in this respect exhibited by the two very old 

 male skulls of Zalophus already described. Another difference is seen in 

 the parieto-maxillary suture. In the younger specimen it is nearly 

 straight and directed forwards, the nasals extending considerably beyond 

 it. In the other it curves at first moderately backwards, and then ab- 

 ruptly in the same direction ; the mamillaries extending in this case 

 slightly beyond the nasals, instead of ending considerably in front of the 

 end of the latter. The nasals themselves are much narrower in the 

 younger specimen, especially anteriorly, and hence have very different 

 forms in the two specimens. 



In respect to the teeth, it may be added that the older skull has seven 

 upper molars on one side and six on the other, the normal number being 

 six on each side. The form of the molar teeth, especially of the fangs, 

 differ markedly in the two skulls; those of the younger having the longi- 

 tudinal grooves of the fangs of nearly all the teeth almost wholly obsolete, 

 while in the other specimen the roots of nearly all the molars are more or 

 less strongly grooved. 



Of the two female skulls one is very aged,* as shown by the closed su- 

 tures and the greatly worn and defective teeth. The younger, however, 

 is also quite advanced in years. Differences of a similar character to those 

 seen in the males also occur between these, but they are less marked. 



There are also considerable variations in color. Not only is one of the 

 young females much darker below and about the face than the other, but one 



* Respecting the ag;e of these specimens of fur seals, Captain Bryant has responded 

 to my inquiries as follows: "The grown females (the mothers of the pups) were aver- 

 age specimens. The only means I had of determining their age was by the evidences 

 afforded by dissection. These were that the oiler female had given birth to -even 

 young, and the other to five, which would make their ages respectively ten and eight 

 years. The two grown males were also selected as average specimens in size and color. 

 Judging from their general appearance and color, 1 estimated them to be ten years old. 

 The two pups were thirty-five days old, and in that time had doubled their size from 

 birth. They were both females." 



