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



Australia/ erroneously figures Eared Seals with the attitudes of 

 the Earless ones. 



I. The palate produced behind to a line with the condyles. It is deeply 

 concave behind, and becomes deeper as the animal increases in age. 

 The hinder nostril is short, with a truncated front edge. 



1. Otarta, Gray, Gill, and Peters. 

 Platyrhynchus, F, Cuvier. 



Grinders &!&. In the adult skulls the fourth upper grinder 

 is under the front edge of the orbit, and the sixth or last in a 

 line with the back edge of the zygomatic arch. The hinder 

 edge of the palate is in a line with the condyles, and truncated. 



In the skull of the younger animal, about 8 inches long, the 

 hinder edge of the palate is rather in front of the line of the 

 condyles. The upper grinders are also differently disposed : 

 the third upper grinder is under the front edge of the orbit, and 

 the fifth tooth is in a line with the back edge of the zygomatic 

 arch, and the last or sixth tooth is far behind it. The teeth in 

 the younger skull are more lobed than in the adult. This 

 change is remarkable, as the teeth of the young and the adult 

 Zalopkus Gilliespii are similar in number and position. 



Otariajubata. Southern Sea-Lion. 

 Phoca jubata, Forster. 

 Otaria leonina, Peron. 

 0. chilensis, J. Miiller. 



Hab. South America, Falkland Islands, Chili. 



The oldest of the three adult skulls in the British Museum 

 difiers from the other two in the pterygoid processes of the 

 hinder edge of the palate being closer together than in the rest; 

 but this character seems to depend on the greater age of the 

 animal, as it differs slightly in the two other specimens. 



In all the younger specimens, varying greatly in size, the 

 pterygoid processes are far apart. 



Dr. Peters considers (1) Platyrhynchus leoninus of P. Cuvier, 

 (2) Phoca Byronia of Blainville, and (3) an adult specimen which 

 is in the Hamburg Museum, and of which he described and 

 figured the skull as 0. Geoffroyia, to be distinct species. 



I cannot see any difference between the skull in the College 

 of Surgeons, on which Phoca Byronia was founded, and those 

 in the British Museum ; and the figure of the skull described as 

 Otaria Geoffroyia is very similar to the skull in the British 

 Museum collection which I have called 0. jubata. 



II. The palate rather produced behind. The front edge of the hinder nasal 

 opening in a line with the middle of the zygomatic arch. 



A. The grinders 5/5, the fourth upper {in adult) under the front edge of 



