720 MONACHUS? TROPICALIS WEST INDIAN SEAL. 



eral history of the case, that Mr. Gosse obtained or saw only a 

 single specimen of Seal in Jamaica, namely, the skin forming 

 the basis of Gray's Fhoca tropicaUs.* Furthermore, the genus 

 Cystopliora^ as now known, is a subarctic type, the occurrence 

 of which within the tropics seems at least very improbable. 

 Agreeing, therefore, with Dr. Gill that the West Indian habitat 

 of Cystophora antillarum even still "requires confirmation," I 

 can recognize in the x)resent connection only a single species 

 of West Indian Seal, namely Phoca tropicaUs, Gray, 1850,= 

 Monachus tropicaUs, Gray, 1874. 



Affinities of the Jamaican ob Pedro Seal. In respect 

 to the characters and affinities of the Jamaican Seal, we have 

 nothing of importance beyond the information furnished by 



Messrs. Hill and Gosse. The incisive formula of Iff shows that 



it is neither Cystopliora nor MacrorJiinus, nor even a typical 

 member of the subfamily Phocince. In this respect it agrees 

 with Monachus and with the Stenorhyncine Seals, with which 

 types it also agrees in the rudimentary condition of the nails 

 on the hind feet. It agrees with Monachus in the structure of 



* After transmitting this article to tlie printer it seemed to me desirable 

 to settle, if j)ossible, the question of the West Indian origin of the specimens 

 on which Dr. Gray based his Cystophora antilJantm, and I accordingly ad- 

 dressed a letter of inquiry on the subject to Mr. P. H. Gosse. He not only 

 promptly replied, but in a subsequent letter kindly gave me permission to- 

 publish his letter, the greater part of which I here transcribe : 



''Sandhurst, Torquay, Jan. 18, 1880. 



"My Dear Sir : In reply to your inquiry about West Indian Seals, I may 

 say, with certainty, (notwithstanding the length of time that has elapsed,) 

 that Dr. J. E. Gray was in error, in supposing that more than one sjjecies was 

 actually delivered to the Brit. Museum, from Jamaica, by me. This wa& 

 the skin mentioned in my 'Nat. Soj. Jam.', p. 314 



"The Seal of the Pedro Kays is certainly not a Cystopliora. I know noth- 

 ing of this ; nor of any other Seal from the Antilles than the species I have 

 described in ' N. S. J.' 



' ' Believe me, my dear sir, very truly yours, 



"P. H. GOSSE." 



This makes it evident that Dr. Gray was mistaken in his statement that 

 the specimens of his Cystophora antillarum were "collected in Jamaica and 

 sent home direct from the island by Mr. Gosse." I will now add that I be- 

 lieve it safe to refer Cystophora antillarum to the well-known Cystophora 

 anstata, even Gray himself having stated that the young skull on which it 

 was mainly based "is exceedingly like that of the young C. eristata" and 

 to assume that the supposition of its West Indian origin was wholly a mis- 

 take. 



