of the Falkland Islands and Southern America. 105 



Fur-Seal of tlie Falkland Islands, that it grows to about half 

 as long again as the specimen sent, and that the old males are 

 grey from the tips of the hairs, I have therefore had the 

 skull extracted from the specimen ; and there is no doubt that 

 it is quite distinct from the Sea-Lion {Otaria jubata) ; and, on 

 more careful examination of the skin, I have little doubt, from 

 the colour and the character of the fur, that it is a young- 

 specimen of the Seal that I described as Avc.toce])halus nigres- 

 cens. It is interesting as conlirming the accuracy of the 

 habitat that I received with that specimen, and which until 

 this time I considered doubtful, as Pennant and others de- 

 scribe the Falkland- Island Fur-Seal as grey, and white beneath. 

 Capt. Abbot's young specimen chiefly differs from the adult 

 one in the Museum in the hairs being longer, more erect, and 

 with minute white tips, and in the face, throat, and chest 

 being rufous brown ; but this reddish colour is common to the 

 young of several Sea-Bears. 



Dr. Peters, on the authority of this habitat (which I have 

 always quoted with doubt), has given the name of Arctophoca 

 falklandtca to the animal and skull on which I established 

 my Arctocei^halus nigrescens. 



In the British Museum there is the skin of a very young- 

 Seal which was presented by Sir John Richardson as the 

 Falkland-Island Fur-Seal, with the observation appended 

 that the adult is 5 feet long, and its skin is worth fifteen 

 dollars. It is without its skull. The fur of this young Seal is 

 dark brown, reddish beneath, and very like that of the young- 

 specimen sent by Capt. Abbot ; but the hairs are smoother, 

 and the white tips to them are longer and more marked, giving 

 the animal a more grizzled appearance. 



There is another young Eared Seal, very like the former, 

 which was received with General Hardwicke's collection (who, 

 no doubt, purchased it of a dealer), said to have come from the 

 Cape of Good Hope. I suspect this habitat must be erroneous ; 

 for it is very unlike what I recollect of the young of the Cape 

 Eared Seals, which are called " Black Dogs," on account of 

 the blackness of their colour. Unfortunately we have no spe- 

 cimen of the latter in the Museum Collection. General Hard- 

 wicke's specimen only differs from Sir John Richardson's in 

 being less punctulated with white ; fewer hairs have a white 

 tip, and the tip is shorter. 



Both these young specimens differ from the half-grown one 

 obtained from Capt. Abbot in the fur being softer and smooth 

 to the touch ; and Capt. Abbot's specimen differs from the adult 

 in the length and greater crispness of its fur, the fur of the 

 old one being harsh and hard and closer pressed. 



