238 Dr. J. E. Gray on the Skulls of Sea-Bears 



than with us. It would seem that the greenness in the oysters 

 from the river Roach in Essex is, however, entirely confined to 

 the beard. The fact that another river (the Crouch), running 

 into the Roach, possesses oysters with white beards only renders 

 the whole question all the more curious and puzzling. 



Meanwhile, until the actual properties of green oysters which 

 are neither plucked from the keels of ships nor fished up near 

 the copper-mines at Falmouth shall be discovered, we advise 

 any of our readers who are at all inclined to be nervous on the 

 subject to remember the valuable test afibrded by ammonia, 

 and add a small bottle of it to the usual pepper and vinegar ac- 

 cessories, to be used in a case of doubt — though, if they have a 

 mind to eat the oyster in case their suspicions should prove 

 groundless, we would recommend the simple ordeal of the 

 sewing-needle as the more suitable. 



XXXII. — Notes on the Skulls of Sea-Bears and Sea-Lions (Ota- 

 riadse) in the British Museum. By Dr. J. E. Gray, F.R.S. &c. 



The " Prodrome of a Monograph of the Pinnipedes " by Mr. 

 Theodore Gill, wherein he named several genera of this group, 

 and a paper by Dr. Peters on the Otarice in the Berlin Museum, 

 in the ' Monatsbericht ' for May of this year, have induced me 

 to re-examine the skulls and skeletons in the British Museum ; 

 and I herewith send you the result of my observations. I may 

 observe that Dr. Peters considers all the Eared Seals one 

 genus, but has divided them into seven subgenera, to each of 

 which he gives a distinctive name. Dr. Peters's paper is inter- 

 esting as determining the specimens described by Pander and 

 D^Alton, Johann Miiller, and other German naturalists, as well 

 as describing the more recently received specimens in the Berlin 

 Museum, which certainly is one of the most important on the 

 continent. 



Capt. Thomas Musgrave, in a work entitled "Cast away on the 

 Aucklands," 12 mo, 1866, pp. 141 and following, gives a very in- 

 teresting account of the habits and manners of the Lion Seal, 

 showing how unlike they are in their habits to the Seals without 

 ears (Phocidse). The female brings forth her young far inland, 

 and has to teach them to take to the water which is to be their 

 future home. 



Capt. Weddell gives nearly the same account of the habits of 

 the Pur-Seal, as does also Mr. Hamilton (in Ann. & Mag. Nat. 

 Hist. 1839, p. 87). 



Unfortunately, having no skull or other parts of the Lion 

 Seal of the Auckland Islands (the most southern of the New- 



