28 EDWARD A. WILSON. 
have been published, notably an excellent one by Mr. Bernacchi in his narrative 
of the ‘Southern Cross’ Expedition, and in the ‘Southern Cross’ Report (p. 26), is 
markedly different to all the other species. The head is disproportionately large 
for the rest of the body, and the power of the neck is immense. The rest of the 
animal tails off in a more snake-like fashion than in any other of the Southern seals, 
suggesting great power and rapidity of movement under water. The total length from 
nose to tail tip of the four specimens in our collection is respectively 128 inches in 
No. 64, 106 inches in No. 65, 131 inches in No. 66, and 107 in No. 18. These figures, 
however, do not give a true idea of the size to which the animal may grow, for Sir 
James Ross captured one with a length of 144 inches. The proportions of the animal 
will be better understood by the following measurements, which were in each case 
taken in the flesh, and it may here be noted that the example recently mounted in the 
British Museum Gallery (No. 64 of the ‘ Discovery’ collection), was modelled carefully to 
these figures, so that its form represents as nearly as possible the proportions of life :— 
Nose to tail tip aa er i oe 5 te 128 inches. 
Diameter, taken with callipers from side to side :— 
At a point 12 inches behind the nose ... ss is a ae 11 inches. 
aa’ i ce ce. Ss tet te i aa 
a an o!, 20. 3. “ee ae. oF 
See : i dee es ate 23, 
» 860 « w ar enc en ne 1 20 4, 
a ae e A cae a oe 
a re ‘ me. Jee. Stn. Coie. Se. Os 16, 
3 96S, ” ” ve sa ae bey Ba 16 CO, 
» 108 ,, ¥ a ee ee ee ae 
The end of the fore flipper, lying along the side, was 624 inches from the nose. 
At a point 90 inches from the nose was the smallest diameter of the belly, 15 inches. 
The following dimensions were taken by Dr. Davidson from examples captured 
‘ . Mee 
on the ‘Morning, ’: No.65 ¢. No.669. No.189. 
Inches, Inches, Inches. 
Length from tip of nose to end of tail... a 106 131 107 
Greatest girth ia 2 Ae ah a 57 75k — 
Length of fore flipper... i sg oie 22 293 294 
Breadth ,, 5 be vit cas ae 13 16 14 
Length of hind flipper... a as the 21 24 21 
Spread 5 a5 ree a ae a 22 26 274 
Girth under the fore flippers bed a bs — — 564 
Girth above the tail ot deh a Me — = 37 
In the stomach of the specimen which we procured were the remains, almost a 
complete skin, of an Emperor penguin, 3 feet in length. In the stomach of one 
taken by Dr. Davidson, on the ‘Morning,’ were the remains of a young Weddell’s Seal. 
Fish, cephalopods and penguins seem to form its chief diet in the Antarctic seas, and 
in one instance 28lbs. of fish are reported to have been taken from the stomach of a 
single animal. On the ice floes it seems to be even less active than Weddell’s 
