ALLEN : mammalia: otariid^. 129 



The locality is against such a reference. The skull, as figured, shows the 

 milk dentition, and the short nasals, which give it a resemblance to the 

 skull of A. anstyalis, may be due to its extreme immaturity, i he de- 

 scription and figures are not sufficient for the satisfactory identification 



of the alleged species. 



Although hundreds of thousands, and probably millions, of these ani- 

 mals have been slaughtered for their peltries, no proper or adequately 

 satisfactory account has been given of the external characters o the 

 species, descriptions of which have been almost entirely based on skulls 

 alone owing to the absence in museums of the skins of this species 



One of the most detailed accounts yet published is that given by Ham- 

 ilton in the "Annals of Natural History" (Vol. I, Oct. 1838, pp. 81-95, 

 pi. iv, animal), and republished in part in his "Amphibious Carmvora 

 (Tardine's Naturalists' Library, VI, 1839. PP- 271-279- pl- ^xv). Under 

 the title "Observations on the Fur Seal of Commerce," he gave a critical 

 and discriminating review of the literature of the subject, and described " the 

 Fur Seal of Commerce" in considerable detail from two stuffed specimens 

 presented by Captain Weddell to the Museum of the University of Edin- 

 burgh with extracts from Captain Weddell's^ account of its habits. It is, 

 however not stated whether the specimens came from the Falkland or 

 South Shetland Islands, though probably from the latter, judging from 



Weddell's narrative. ^ , • ^u 4. • 



The fullest recent account of the Falkland Island Fur Seal is that given 

 by Turner in the " Zoology of the Challenger Expedition " (part Ixviii 1888 

 PP 39-41) The skull, on the other hand, has been described and figured 

 by Gray (as Ardocephahis nigrescens and Euotaria /atirosfns — stt bibli- 

 ographical citations above), and recently by Burmeister and Turner. 

 Burmeister's plate x of the second livraison of the Mammals of the Atlas 

 to his " Description Physique de la Republique Argentine" (1883) gives a 

 view of the animal, an adult male, with three views of its skull ; also three 

 views of the skull of a young animal, and figures of the hyoid apparatus 

 and the bones of the fore and hind feet; but there is no information as to 

 the place of capture of the specimens figured, though presumably they 

 came from Lobos Islands, Uruguay. Turner, in the "Zoology of the 

 Challenger Expedition" (/. c, pi. vi), has also figured the skull and other 



1 Voyage to the South Pole, London, 1825, pp. 137, 140. See also Allen, /. c, pp. 378, 379 

 where Weddell's account is again quoted. 



