THE SEA ELEPHANT. 59 



example, Leptonychotes, Stenorhinchus, or Lobodon. In this respect Macrorhinus 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 briefly 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 ungtial, 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 Macrorhinus the extreme form beyond it. 

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



from Otartidw and land carnivora. 



o o 



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, Macrorhinus is removed 

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

 of some of the Phocidse, 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. 



ARCTOCEPHALUS HOOKEEI. 



Hooker's Sea-Lion. 

 (Plate IV.). 



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



Animals of New Zealand, 1904, p. 36. 

 Phocarctos hoolceri, Allen, Hist. N. Amer. Pinnipeds (1880), p. 209, ibique citata. 



LIST OF MATERIAL IN THE 'DISCOVERY' COLLECTION. 



No. 27, ad. skin and skull ? . March 20, 1904. Laurie Harbour, Auckland Islands. (Seals, 



Plate IV.). 



No. 31, ad. skin and skull $? . March 20, 1904. Laurie Harbour, Auckland Islands. 

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

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

 several milk 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. 



