48 



SoiifJicni Cross. 



pt 1ft fiiiftlo cost un n-niflemcnt sans harmonie produit par I'air 

 vioK'inmont cxpiilsc par los narincs." 



hUtnnal appearance— Ai^ in tlie case of the other species, the 

 .'xact di'tails of the coloration of Om mctfophoca ore still very imperfectly 

 known. (Jray's phite tells us very little. In his written description 

 of the tyiH^-siH^cimeii he stated that the colonr was " gi-eenish-yellow, 

 with close itl>li<[ue yellow stripes on the side, pale beneath." The 

 |.m«!ent coloration of the skin I should describe as being as nearly as 

 jMis-sible olive above, shading gradually into tawny-olive beneath, 

 with regions of ligliter yellowish shades on the breast and neck. 



Ml!. NICOLAI n.\XSON, WITH ROSS'S SEAL. 

 (% iiermission of ifessrs. Jlurst tC- BlacJcett.) 



Tliere is no very distinct line of demarcation between the colours of 

 the upper and under surfaces; neither are there many spots. The 

 " stripes" described by Gray are, however, present at about the place 

 when' a line of demarcation might be expected to occur. On the 

 llunk.s they occur as streaks of the colour of the under surface, having 

 a hrcatlth of about a ([uarter of an inch, which running obliquely 

 -■ ids invade the colour of the upper surface. Occasionnlly in 



1 -where the streaks are interrupted a spot or two is formed. 



()the^wi,^o the creature is spotless. 



Mr. IJruce in his very brief allusion to the coloration of this 

 silica makes no mention of these streaks, but merely compares it 

 with the Crab-eating Seal, adding that its coat is " somewhat sleeker 



