of the Antarctic Seas and the Cape of Good Hope. 219 



to a much larger size than the specimen described by M. 

 Cuvier. There are two well-grown stuffed specimens of it in 

 the Collection of the British Museum, and there is very little 

 to add to Cuvier's description above referred to. 



Mr. Bartlett kindly sent to the British Museum for my ex- 

 amination a series of the skins of this Seal as they are sold by 

 the fellmonger, on which I made the following notes : — 



1. Adult male, with slight mane, called in the sale-catalogue 

 " large-wig." Fur whitish, with a few intermixed black 

 hairs ; under-fur short, reddish. 



2. Adult, witliout the mane, called in the sale-catalogue 

 " middling." Fur reddish white, grizzled with scattered black 

 hairs ; underside of the body darker, reddish brown ; under-fur 

 short, reddish. 



3. Young, about 18 inches long, called in the sale-catalogue 

 " black pup," from the Cape of Good Hope. Fur black, 

 polished, soft, smooth, without any grey tips, rather browner 

 black beneath ; under-fur brown, very sparse ; hairs slender, 

 polished, black, with very slender brown bases. 



With these skins were two others, sold at the same time, 

 and called " middling " Fur- Seals ; but they are so different 

 from all the others in the form of the hair as well as in its 

 length, and they are also so nearly destitute of under-fur, ex- 

 cept just on the crown of the head, that I am convinced they 

 could not be dressed as Fur-Seals ; and I believe they are a 

 most distinct species, which I propose to call 



Arctocephalus nivosus. 



Fur very short, close-pressed, black, varied with close, small, 

 often confluent, white spots ; underside of neck with a few 

 scattered white hairs ; belly red brown (nearly bay) ; hairs 

 short, thick, of one colour to the base ; under-fur none, except 

 a very few hairs on the crown of the head. 



Hab. Cape of Grood Hope. B.M. 



Length of skin nearly 8 feet, but stretched and flattened. 



Unfortunately these skins are without skulls ; so I cannot 

 decide to which subgenus they ought to be referred. 



These and those previously mentioned have been transferred 

 by Mr. Bartlett to the Museum Collection. 



