212 ELEPHANT SEAL. 



full dark-brown, and is rather longer than else- 

 where. The hair lies in patches, in all directions, 

 which gives a spotted appearance to the whole 

 body, making it somewhat like watered silk, but the 

 colour of the individual hairs is the same olive 

 brown and yellowish bay. 



" The head is large for a Seal, and well marked, 

 much like our Sea-Lion in the College Museum, 

 (No. 19,) but without the beard and mane. The 

 nose is not in the smallest degree prehensile, not 

 more so than that of a Labrador dog, to which the 

 head also has some resemblance, I mean the smooth 

 skinned Newfoundland dog, which is not very 

 common. There are four fingers and a sort of 

 thumb on the fore flippers, with perfect nails upon 



each ; the hind toes have not even the rudiments of 

 nails, but are beautifully constructed, like the web 

 of a duck's foot, and formed to expand, so increas- 

 ing the power of natation. Its tail is very short, 

 not more than six inches long. The orifice of the ear 



