ROSS’ SEAL. 
‘Mornina’ CoLLECcTION. 
Measurements taken by Dr. Davidson. 
43 
No. | Sex. paca pec on tb a ana | tone ipes fore. tipper hind eee snd Sipe? 
inches, inches. in inches. in inches. in inches. in inches. 
25 | ¢ eee 88 BY 16 12 18 26 
26| 3 te os cd 46 10} 8h 13} 22 
28 | ¢ a aE 50 14} 94 15} 23 
In No. 46 of the ‘Discovery’ collection the diameter was taken from side to side 
with callipers at every twelve inches of the animal’s length. This gives the pro- 
portions of the animal in the flesh. 
Diameter from side to side :— 
At a point 1 ft. from tip of nose 13 ins. 
35 2 ft. » 21 ins. 
as 3 ft. 5 », 224 ins. 
% 4 ft. $3 » 20 ins. 
3 5 ft. + », 18 ins. 
Position of Penis. 
At a point 6 ft. from tip of nose 124 ins. 
3 7 ft. 5 5, 10 ins. 
In the ‘ Discovery ’ series the only female is larger than two of the five males, but 
it must be noted also that whereas these males are young adults, the female is a very 
It is unfortunate that the skins and skulls obtained by the ‘Southern Cross’ 
are unsexed and cannot be included in this comparison, and that the four skins brought 
home by the Belgian Expedition range only from 52 inches to 58 inches, obviously 
animals which were not full grown, and a most unfortunate series from which to 
estimate the average size of Ommatophoca. 
The greatest length of any specimen that has come under my observation is 1303 
inches, the skin of the animal mentioned by Mr. Bernacchi as being nearly eleven feet 
in length, in the flesh. This animal, almost certainly a male, was of a brownish hue, 
with a pale throat and chin. One other skin of the ‘Southern Cross’ collection, which 
measured 92 inches in length, was also certainly a male, and was of a blackish grey 
colour with a blackish chin and throat which faded gradually into the paler grey of the 
chest and abdomen. If these two skins are included in my list of measurements, the 
males on the whole may be taken to be distinctly larger than the females, and in size 
equal to that of Weddell’s Seal and exceeding that of the average Crab-eater. 
With a capability of reaching close on 11 feet, it is the more remarkable that out 
of thirteen specimens none bigger than 4 feet 10 inches should have been brought 
home by the Belgian Expedition. In shape Ross’ Seal is quite distinct from the 
other Antarctic seals, as can be well seen in the photographs which have been published, 
old one. 
