WESSON S OTARY. 269 



membrane, festooned on its edge, black and quite 

 smooth ; the fingers may be distinguished, and four 

 rudimentary nails appear. The hind flippers closely 

 approximate, are flat, and terminated by phalanges 

 of equal length. The three middle are supplied 

 with strong black nails an inch long ; those on the 

 external toes are quite small ; the web is large, and 

 forms five projecting portions,which are supplied with 

 tendons proceeding from the las* phalynx ; they have 

 no hair upon them, and are quite black. The ex- 

 ternal surface of the flippers, like the other parts of 

 the body, are covered with short close hair, whilst 

 the arm-pits and groins, and lower side of the feet, 

 are quite naked. The length of the hair does not 

 exceed a quarter of an inch, and the colour is a 

 brownish-red, satin like, when the animal is alive. 

 This Otary has thirty-six teeth, the upper incisors, 

 flattened transversely, are separated into two lobes 

 by a deep groove. 



The animal so described was killed in the Falk- 

 land Isles. In November but few were seen, but 

 towards the end of December they become very 

 numerous. Lesson also noticed it on the coast of 

 Chili in considerable numbers. 



THE ASH-COLOURED AND WHITE- 

 NECKED OTARIES. 



IN addition to the above species, thus recently al- 

 ded to by Lesson, two others must still be men- 



