﻿Hector. — On the Fur Seal of New Zealand. 



197 



conch. Colour uniform, black when wet, but when dry rusty in the male, 

 and grizzle in the female. Fur of two layers, the upper part being formed of 

 scattered hairs rising from the under fur. These hairs, which are longest on 

 the back, where they are three-quarters of an inch, have a flatted form, 

 generally with white tips, but frequently altogether white. The under fur is 

 confined to the back, and is almost wanting on the flanks and belly. It is 

 formed of a very fine woolly layer, close, dense, and about half an inch deep 

 on those parts where most abundant. Tips of the whole fur, as laid open by 

 the hand, black ; middle parts chestnut brown, and pure white at base.* 



Flippers naked, with a few chaffy scales. The anterior flippers with 

 small nails, immersed on the first four digits, and only a faint mark on the 

 fifth. Posterior flippers with strong nails immersed on the three central digits, 

 the first and fifth being feeble. Toe flaps rather longer than the toes. 



Table of Measurement in Inches. 





Male. 



Female 



Total length 82-0 



80-0 



Nose to ear . . . . . .9-0 



8-5 



„ angle of mouth . . . .8-0 



7-8 



„ eye 4-5 



4-5 



Length of ear . . . . . . 1 '8 



1-7 



Width of nose 1-7 



1-7 



31-0 



29-0 



17-0 



16-0 



15-0 



16-0 



4-0 



4-0 



Anterior flipper — 



Length of exterior surface from shoulder 

 joint ...... 



Length of interior surface from axilla 



Posterior flipper — 



Length from hip joint .... 

 Length of tail ...... 



The skull of the third specimen, which was a male, weighing 2701bs, was 

 preserved for examination, and is figured in PI. XII., fig. 1, a, b, and c. 



Incisor teeth j-, the external in upper jaw being much stronger than the 

 others, which are small and feebly implanted in the jaw. Canines very 

 strong, and locking, 1-7 inches long. Molars r simple, conical, compressed, 

 with slightly lobed crown. 



Palate moderately concave, narrowed in front, most expanded opposite the 

 last molars, and again contracted to a deep posterior aperture bounded by a 

 truncate semicircular margin. 



* In the tanned skin now in the Museum the under fur is red, but paler near the 

 skin, having probably been stained in the tan-pit. 



B B 



