Chapter III: Section II: Denticete 57

Suborder III. PHYSETEROIDEA 57

Fam. 6. CATODONTIDÆ 58

1. Catodon 58

macrocephalus. Trop. 59

2. Meganeuron 59

Krefftii. Australasia 59

Fam. 7. PHYSETERIDÆ 60

1. Physeter 60

tursio. North Sea 60

2. Kogia 60

breviceps. Cape of Good Hope 60

Macleayii. Australia, India 61

3. Euphysetes 61

Grayii. Australia 61

Suborder IV. SUSUOIDEA 61

Fam. 8. PLATANISTIDÆ 62

1. Platanista 62

gangetica. India 62

Indi. India 62

Suborder V. DELPHINOIDEA 62

Fam. 9. INIIDÆ 63

1. Inia 63

Geoffroyii. Brazil 64

Fam. 10. DELPHINIDÆ 64

Tribe I. STENONINA 65

1. Steno 65

frontatus. Indian Ocean 65

compressus. South Sea 65

chinensis. China 65

capensis. Cape of Good Hope 66

lentiginosus. India 66

[roseiventris. Moluccas] 66

tucuxi. Brazil 66

attenuatus. India 66

fuscus 66

[brevimanus. Singapore] 66

[coronatus. Spitzbergen] 66

[rostratus. North Sea] 67

2. Sotalia 67

guianensis. British Guiana 67

Tribe II. DELPHININA 67

3. Delphinus 67

longirostris. Japan, Cape of Good Hope 68

delphis. North Sea 68

Moorei. S. Atlantic 68

major 68

Walkeri. S. Atlantic 68

Janira. Newfoundland 68

fulvifasciatus. Van Diemen’s Land 68

obliquidens. N. Pacific 69

pomeegra. India 69

Forsteri 69

4. Clymenia 69

stenorhyncha 69

microps. Coast of Brazil 69

Alope. Cape Horn 70

Styx. West Africa 70

Euphrosyne. North Sea 70

gadamu. India 70

normalis 70

Doris 70

euphrosynoides 71

dorides 71

obscura. S. Pacific 71

similis. Cape of Good Hope 72

crotaphiscus 72

esthenops 72

5. Delphinapterus 72

Peronii. S. Atlantic 72

6. Tursio 72

truncatus. North Sea 74

erebennus. Philadelphia 74

Metis. West Africa 74

Cymodoce. River Uragua 74

abusalam. Cape of Good Hope 74

Eurynome. South Sea 74

catalania. N. W. Australia 75

7. Eutropia 75

Dickiei. Chili 75

Heavisidii. Cape seas 75

Tribe III. LAGENORHYNCHINA 75

8. Electra 76

obtusa 76

Asia 76

fusiformis. India 76

acuta. North Sea 76

breviceps 76

clancula. S. Pacific 77

crucigera 77

thicolea 77

9. Feresa 78

intermedia 78

10. Leucopleurus 78

arcticus. North Sea 78

11. Lagenorhynchus 79

albirostris. North Sea 79

Tribe IV. PSEUDORCAINA 79

12. Pseudorca 79

crassidens. North Sea 80

meridionalis. Van Diemen’s Land 80

13. Orcaella 80

brevirostris. Ganges 80

fluminalis 80

Tribe V. PHOCÆNINA 81

14. Phocæna 81

communis. North Sea 81

[brachycium. Harbour of Salem] 81

[vomerina. N. Pacific] 81

15. Acanthodelphis 81

spinipinnis. Brazil 81

16. Neomeris 81

phocænoides. India 82

Fam. 11. GRAMPIDÆ 82

1. Grampus 82

Rissoanus. Nice 82

Cuvieri. North Sea 82

Richardsonii. Cape of Good Hope 83

Fam. 12. GLOBIOCEPHALIDÆ. 83

1. Globiocephalus 83

svineval. North Sea 83

[melas. Mediterranean] 83

[affinis. North Sea] 84

[intermedius. Delaware Bay] 84

[Edwardsii. South Sea] 84

[guadaloupensis. Guadaloupe] 84

Grayi. Buenos Ayres 84

macrorhynchus. South Sea 84

[Scammonii. N. Pacific] 85

[australis. Australia] 85

[indicus. Bengal] 85

[Sieboldii. Japan] 85

[chinensis. China] 85

[sibo. Japan] 85

2. Sphærocephalus 85

incrassatus. British Channel 85

Fam. 13. ORCADÆ 85

1. Orca 90

stenorhyncha. North Sea 90

capensis. Cape of Good Hope 90

africana. Algoa Bay 91

latirostris. North Sea 91

[gladiator, var. arcticus. Faroe Islands] 91

[gladiator, var. europæus. Atlantic] 92

[gladiator, var. europæus. Mediterranean] 92

magellanica. Patagonia 92

tasmanica. Tasmania 92

rectipinna. California 92

atra. Oregon 92

2. Ophysia 93

pacifica. N. Pacific 93

Fam. 14. BELUGIDÆ 93

1. Beluga 94

catodon. North Sea 94

[rhinodon. Arctic seas] 94

[declivis. Arctic seas] 94

[angustata. Arctic seas] 94

[canadensis. Canada] 94

Kingii. Australia 95

2. Monodon 95

monoceros. North Sea 95

Fam. 15. PONTOPORIADÆ 95

1. Pontoporia 95

Blainvillii. S. Atlantic 96

Suborder VI. ZIPHIOIDEA 96

Fam. 16. HYPEROODONTIDÆ 96

1. Hyperoodon 96

butzkopf. North Sea 97

[semijunctus. Charlestown] 97

2. Lagenocetus 97

latifrons. North Sea 97

Fam. 17. EPIODONTIDÆ 97

1. Epiodon 98

Desmarestii. North Sea 98

australis. Buenos Ayres 98

2. Petrorhynchus 98

mediterraneus. Mediterranean 98

capensis. South Sea 98

Fam. 18. ZIPHIIDÆ 99

1. Berardius 99

arnuxi. New Zealand 99

2. Ziphius 100

Sowerbiensis. Britain 101

3. Dolichodon 101

Layardii. Cape of Good Hope 101

4. Neoziphius 101

europæus. Mediterranean 101

5. Dioplodon 102

sechellensis. Seychelles 102

SUPPLEMENT TO THE CATALOGUE OF SEALS AND WHALES.

Suborder PINNIPEDIA.

Phocidæ, _Catalogue of Seals & Whales_, p. 1.

Pinnipedia, _Illiger_, _Prodr._ p. 138, 1811.

Pinnipedes, _Gill’s Prodomus_, _Proceedings Essex Institute_,
vol. v. 1866.

Family 1. PHOCIDÆ.

Muffle hairy on the edge, and between the nostrils. Ears without any conch, merely a small aperture. Arms and legs very short; wrist very short. Toes subequal, arched, exserted. Hind feet large, fan-shaped; the inner and outer toes large and long, the three middle ones shorter. The palms and soles hairy. Claws distinct, sharp. Skull:—postorbital process none or obsolete; no alisphenoid canal; the mastoid process swollen, seeming to form part of the auditory bulla. The scapula expanded upwards and backwards towards the posterior superior angle. Testicles enclosed in the body of the animal, without any external scrotum.

Phocidæ, _Gray_, _Ann. & Mag. N. H._ 1869, vol. iv. pp. 268,
342, 344; _Gill_, _Proc. Essex Instit._ 1866, p. 5; _Allen_,
_Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool._ ii, 1870.

Sect. I. _Cutting-teeth 6/4, curved, conical, and small. The palate produced nearly to the hinder molars._

Tribe I. _PHOCINA._

Skull tapering in front. Nose-hole moderate. Molars, except the first, with two roots.

Phocina, _Gray_, _Cat. Seals & Whales_, p. 20.

Inhab. North Atlantic and Arctic Seas.

1. CALLOCEPHALUS.

Callocephalus, _Gray_, _Cat. Seals & Whales_, p. 20.

2. PAGOMYS.

Pagomys, _Gray_, _Cat. Seals & Whales_, p. 22.

3. PAGOPHILUS.

Pagophilus, _Gray_, _Cat. Seals & Whales_, p. 25.

1. Pagophilus? equestris.

Brown, with a ring round the head, a ring round the fore limbs, and a broad band round the middle, white. The female whitish brown, with an obscure band across the hinder part of the back.

Phoca equestris, _Pallas_, _Zoog. Ross.-Asiat._ i. p. 340;
_Schrenck_, _Amur-Land_, p. 182, tab. 9. figs. 1-3.

Phoca fasciata, _Shaw_, _Zool._ i. p. 276 (from the
Ribbon-Seal, _Pennant’s Quad._ 276).

Phoca annellata, _Radde_, _Reisen im Süden von Ost-Sibirien_,
1862, i. p. 296, t. 1-3.

Inhab. North Pacific.

2. Pagophilus? ochotensis.

Phoca ochotensis, _Pallas_, _Zoog. Ross.-Asiat._ i. p. 117;
_Schrenck_, _Amur-Land_, p. 181.

Inhab. North Pacific.

4. HALICYON.

Halicyon, _Gray_, _Cat. Seals & Whales_, p. 27.

1. Halicyon Richardi.

Halicyon Richardi, _Cat. S. & Whales_, p. 30.

Inhab. North Pacific; Columbia River.

2. Halicyon Pealei.

Halichœrus antarcticus, _T. Peale_, _U. S. Expl. Exp._

Mr. Gill says that this is a typical species of _Phoca_, but appears to be identical with those that occur along the Californian and Oregonian coast, so that there must be some error as to the assigned habitat in the Antarctic seas—and proposes the name _Phoca Pealii_ (Proc. Essex Instit. vol. v. p. 4).

5. PHOCA.

Phoca, _Cat. Seals & Whales_, pp. 6 & 31.

Erignathus, _Gill_, 1865.

1. Phoca barbata.

Phoca barbata, _Gray_, _Cat. Seals & Whales_, p. 31.

Phoca lanica, _Rees_, _Cyclopædia_, PHOCA (from _Lepechin_).

Inhab. North Sea.

2. Phoca naurica.

Phoca barbata, _Temminck_, _Fauna Japonica_.

Phoca naurica _et_ Phoca albigena, _Pallas_, _Zoog.
Ross.-Asiat._ i. pp. 108, 109 (vide _Schrenck_); _Schrenck_,
_Amur-Land_, p. 181.

Inhab. North Pacific; Japan. Mus. Leyden.

Tribe II. _HALICHŒRINA._

Muzzle broad, rounded. Skull higher in front. Nose-hole very large. Grinders conical; the two hinder of the upper and the hinder one of the lower jaw double-rooted.

Inhab. North Atlantic and Arctic Seas.

6. HALICHŒRUS.

Halichœrus, _Gray_, _Cat. Seals & Whales_, pp. 6 & 33.

Sect. II _Cutting-teeth four above, and four or two below._

Tribe III. _MONACHINA._

Cutting-teeth 4/4; upper transversely notched. Palatine bones not produced beyond the inner margin of the orbits.

Inhab. Mediterranean and North Atlantic.

7. MONACHUS.

Monachus, _Gray_, _Cat. Seals & Whales_, pp. 6 & 17.

Tribe IV. _STENORHYNCHINA._

Cutting-teeth 4/4; conical, acute. Hinder feet nearly clawless.

Stenorhynchina, _Gray_, _Cat. Seals & Whales_, p. 8.

Inhab. Antarctic Ocean.

1. _Lower jaw strong, angulated behind. Grinders two-rooted, except the first in each jaw._

8. STENORHYNCHUS.

Stenorhynchus, _Gray_, _Cat. Seals & Whales_, p. 15; _Gill_,
_l. c._ p. 10.

1. Stenorhynchus leptonyx.

Stenorhynchus leptonyx, _Gray_, _Cat. Seals & Whales_, p. 16.

Stenorhynchus leptonyx (Sea-leopard), _Abbott_, _P. Z. S._
1868, pp. 192 & 527.

Inhab. Falkland Islands (_Abbott_, _Lecomte_).

This Seal appears to extend from the Antarctic seas to New Zealand, the shores of New South Wales, and the Falkland Islands.

2. _Lower jaw moderate. The three front upper and first front lower grinders single-rooted; the rest two-routed._

9. LOBODON.

Lobodon, _Gray_, _Cat. Seals & Whales_, p. 8; _Gill_, _l. c._
p. 10.

3. _Lower jaw very weak. Front grinder in each jaw single-rooted; the rest two-rooted._

10. LEPTONYX.

Leptonyx, _Gray_, _Cat. S. & W._ p. 11; _Gill_, _l. c._ p. 10.

11. OMMATOPHOCA.

Ommatophoca, _Gray_, _Cat. S. & W._ p. 13; _Gill_, _l. c._ p.
10.

Tribe V. _CYSTOPHORINA._

Cutting-teeth 4/4; grinders with large swollen roots and a small compressed simple plated crown. Muffle of male with a dilatable appendage.

Cystophorina, _Gray_, _Cat. S. & W._ p. 38.

12. MORUNGA.

Morunga, _Gray_, _Cat. S. & W._ p. 38.

Macrorhinus, _Gill_, _l. c._ p. 9.

1. Morunga elephantina.

Morunga elephantina, _Cat. S. & W._ p. 39.

One of the Falkland Islands is called Elephant Island, from the former abundance of Sea-elephants there; but Mr. Sclater informs us that when Lecomte visited it, it was “found to be quite deserted by this animal, which is said now to be entirely extinct in the Falklands, though its former abundance in certain spots is well known, and is further testified by remains of its bones and teeth met with on the shores, specimens of which were obtained and sent home.”—_P. Z. S._ 1868, p. 527. See Dr. Sclater’s previous statement, P. Z. S. 1868, p. 189.

This latter assertion is a mistake, for the bones sent home were those of _O. jubata_, as is proved by the following remarks of Dr. Murie:—“Lecomte and his companions believed these large old skulls of _Otaria jubata_ [which he brought home] to be those of the Elephant-seal (_Morunga elephantina_), as it was stated by some of the party that those animals formerly did exist on this island. One of the pilots (Louis Despreaux by name) had resided thirty-two years on the Falkland Islands, and he distinctly remembered shooting many Elephant-seals in the neighbourhood in bygone years; but about twelve years ago they began to get scarce and disappear.” And further on he observes that they are “now only rarely met with in the Falklands.”—_P. Z. S._ 1869, pp. 106 & 109.

2. Morunga angustirostris.

Macrorhinus angustirostris, _Gill_, _l. c._ p. 13; _Cope_,
_Proc. Acad. N. Sc. Philad._ 1865, p. 51.

Inhab. California from Cape San Lucas to Point Reyes.

Its colour is light brown when the hair is grown to the full length. The males are from 18 to 22 feet long. Females 10 feet long. Canines of the males 4 or 5 inches long.

13. CYSTOPHORA.

Cystophora, _Gray_, _Cat. S. & W._ p. 40; _Gill_, _l. c._

* * * * *

_North Atlantic._

Callocephalus vitulinus.
Callocephalus dimidiatus.
Pagomys fœtidus.
Pagophilus grœnlandicus.
Phoca barbata.
Halichœrus grypus.
Cystophora cristata.

_Caspian Sea and Lake Baikal._

Callocephalus caspica.
*Pagomys fœtidus.

_Tropical Atlantic._

Monachus tropicalis. _Jamaica._
Cystophora antillarum. _West Indies._

_Mediterranean and Subtropical Atlantic._

Monachus albiventer.

_North Pacific._

Halicyon Richardi.
Halicyon? Pealii.
Pagophilus? equestris.
Pagophilus? ochotensis.
Phoca naurica.
Morunga angustirostris.

_Antarctic Ocean._

Lobodon carcinophaga.
Leptonyx Weddellii.
Ommatophoca Rossii.
Stenorhynchus leptonyx.
Morunga elephantina.

_New Zealand._

Stenorhynchus leptonyx.

_Australia._

Stenorhynchus leptonyx.

Family 2. TRICHECHIDÆ.

Trichechidæ, _Gray_, _Ann. Philosoph._ 1825, p. 348; _Ann. &
Mag. N. H._ 1869, iv. p. 268.

Rosmaridæ, _Gill_, _Proc. Essex Inst._ v. 1866, p. 11.

Trichechina (part.), _Gray_, _Cat. S. & W._ p. 33.

Muzzle very broad, truncate, convex, swollen above. Ears without any conch. Eyes prominent. Canines very large, exserted. Cutting-teeth 4/2 in young, and 2/2 in adult; grinders all single-rooted. The anterior feet as large as the posterior ones; the fingers decrease in a curved line, destitute of claws; the hind feet with five toes, very gradually increasing towards the inner, all provided with claws; palms and soles hairy in the young, becoming chaffy. Tail rudimentary. Skull with no postorbital processes. A distinct alisphenoid canal. Mastoid process strong and salient, with its surface continuous with the auditory bulla. The scapula, hinder margin nearly straight, with the spine a short distance from and somewhat parallel with it. Resting on its body with the fore feet extended and the hind feet doubled under it, moving by the exertion of the abdominal muscles. (See P. Z. S. 1853, p. 112.)

1. TRICHECHUS.

Trichechus, _Gray_, _Cat. S. & W._ p. 35.

1. Trichechus ⸺?

Trichechus rosmarus, _Schrenck_, _Amur-Land_, p. 179.

Inhab. North Pacific.

Family 3. OTARIADÆ.

Nose simple; muffle rather large, callous above and between the nostrils. Ears with a cylindrical, external conch. Arms and legs rather elongate. The fore and hind feet fringed. Fore feet fin-like, with a scolloped naked membrane. Palms and soles bald, longitudinally grooved, more or less triangular. Fingers gradually diminish in size from the inner side. Hind feet elongate, narrow, all clawless. Toes nearly of equal length, the outer one on each side being rather the strongest (see Cat. Seals and Whales, p. 44, f. 15). Three middle toes clawed. The fur is generally provided with a more or less thick under-fur. Skull with a postorbital process. An alisphenoid canal. Mastoid process strong and salient, extending aloof from the auditory bulla. Cutting-teeth 6/4, upper often bifid; canines conical; grinders 5/5 or 6/5. The scapula is curved backward to the upper angle, but with its spine or crest near the posterior margin. Testicles enclosed in the small external scrotum. They walk on their fore and hind limbs; they rest with the hind part of the body bent down, and the legs directed forward, like the Morse. The females lie on their backs to receive the caresses of the male; and the young are born on shore and are gradually taught to swim.

Otariadæ, _Brookes, Mus. Cat._ 1836, pp. 18, 28; _Gray_, _Ann.
& Mag. N. H._ 1869, iv. p. 268; _Gill_, _Proc. Essex Inst._
1866, v. p. 7; _Allen_, _Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool._ ii. p. 27.

Arctocephalina, _Gray_, _Cat. S. & W._ p. 44.

The Eared Seals (Otariadæ) form a distinct family from the Earless Seals (Phocidæ). They have more power of using their limbs like the more typical mammalia, walking on them with the body raised from the ground; they rest with their hind limbs bent forwards. These habits are well shown in Dr. Forster’s figures, engraved by Buffon; and they have been verified by the study of the living Eared Seal in the Zoological Gardens. Their scrotum and genital organs are exposed as in the Dog.

The _Otariæ_ come to the surface during the process of mastication, and do not, like the Eared Seals, swallow under the water. They do not drink, while the common Seal occasionally sucks in water as a horse would. The pupils of the eyes dilate and contract to an enormous extent.

The Sea-bears (_Otariadæ_) inhabit the more temperate and colder parts of the southern hemisphere, and the temperate and more northern regions of the Pacific Ocean.

The _Otariæ_ appear to make periodical migrations towards the south; and the Sea-lions (_O. jubata_) come to the Falkland Islands in November, where they remain till June or July, when the greater number depart; but some remain there the whole year round (P. Z. S. 1869, p. 108).

Navigators, from the general external resemblance of the animals, have regarded the Sea-lion and Sea-bear of the northern and southern regions as the same animal. Pennant (who paid considerable attention to Seals) and most modern zoologists have done the same.

Nilsson, in his excellent Monograph of the Seals, only mentions three species of Eared Seal:—1, _Otaria jubata_; 2, _O. ursina_; and, 3, _O. australis_. He believed that the first was common to the Falkland Islands, Chile, Brazil, New Holland, and Kamtschatka, and the second to Magellan’s Straits, Patagonia, New Holland, and the Cape. We now know that the species have a very limited geographical distribution.

When I published my ‘Catalogue of the Seals in the British Museum,’ in 1850, I was satisfied from Steller’s description that the species he described from the Arctic regions were distinct from those found in the Southern seas; and when I at last succeeded in obtaining specimens and skulls from the northern regions of the Pacific, I not only found that my idea was confirmed, but that they did not even belong to the same genera. I had the skulls of these species figured in the ‘Proceedings of the Zoological Society’ for 1859, and this greatly extended the knowledge of the animals. But there is yet much to be learnt respecting them. We do not know the species of Fur-seal described by Forster as inhabiting the coast of New Zealand.

The skull of these animals changes so much in form as the animal arrives at adult and old age that it is not always easy to determine the species by it, unless you have a series of them, of different ages and states, to compare. Thus Dr. Peters, in his revision of the genus after the publication of my Catalogue and figures of the skulls in the ‘Voyage of the Erebus and Terror’ and in the ‘Proceedings of the Zoological Society,’ formed no less than five species from the skulls of the southern Sea-lion (_Otaria jubata_)—_O. jubata_, _O. Byronia_, _O. leonina_, _O. Godeffroyi_, and _O. Ulloæ_,—referring the first four to the subgenus _Otaria_, and the last to _Phocarctos_ (see Monatsbericht, May 1866, pp. 265, 270). In his second essay, published a few months later (_ibid._ Nov. 1866), after his visit to London, he placed them all together in one subgenus (_Otaria_), and seems, by the way in which he has numbered four of them, to doubt their distinctness. It would have been better if he had at once simply reduced them to synonyms (as they must be reduced) and included with them _O. Ulloæ_, which is only the skull of a young specimen, such as was called _O. molossina_ by Lesson and Garnet. I may observe that I had shown in my first ‘Catalogue of Seals’ (1850), from the examination of the typical skull, that two or three of these nominal species were only very old or young skulls of the southern Sea-lion.

It is the character of the Eared Seals or _Otariadæ_ to have a very close, soft under-fur between the roots of the longer and more rigid hairs. They are therefore called _Fur-Seals_ by the sealers, and are hunted for their skin as well as for their oil. The quantity and fineness of the under-fur differ in the various species; and the skin and under-fur bear a price in the market according to the country and the species from which they are obtained.

Some species of the family have so little under-fur when they arrive at adult age, that they are of no value in the market to be made into “seal-skins;” these are therefore called _Hair-Seals_ by the sealers. They are only collected for the oil, as the skins are of comparatively little value.

The skins of the Fur-Seal are much used in China, and are more or less the fashion in this country, sometimes being far more expensive than at others. The skins of the Hair-Seals are only used, like the skins of the Earless Seals or _Phocidæ_, for very inferior purposes, as covering boxes, knapsacks, &c.; but the animals are much sought after for the oil they afford.

The furs of the different species of Fur-Seals are exceedingly different in external appearance, especially in the younger specimens, or when the fur is in its most perfect condition. In most species the hairs are much longer than the under-fur; they are flat and more or less rigid and crisp. In others the hairs are short, much softer, scarcely longer than the soft woolly under-fur; in these species the fur is very dense, standing nearly erect from the skin, forming a very soft elastic coat, as in _O. falklandicus_ and _O. Stelleri_.

The hair of _O. nigrescens_ is considerably longer than that of _O. cinerea_, but not so harsh, the fur of the half-grown _O. nigrescens_ being longer, sparse, flat, rather curled at the end, giving a crispness to the feel; while the hairs of the very young specimens are abundant, nearly of equal length, forming an even coat that is soft and smooth to the touch.

The length, abundance, and, indeed, the presence or absence of the under-fur greatly depend on the season at which the specimen is obtained or observed. It is true that the sealers call some seals hair- and others fur-seals; but that is only because what they call hair-seals never had more than a very small quantity of under-fur in the fur-season; but, on the other hand, many fur-seals at some seasons have only a small quantity of the under-fur which is so long and abundant at other periods.

Difficult as it is for the zoologist to distinguish the species by their external appearance, the skins of the different species of Fur-Seals are easily distinguished by the dealers, even when they are wet, showing that the practical fellmonger is in advance of the scientific man in such particulars, as the dealers in whalebone were in regard to the distinction of the species of the Whale by their baleen (see Zool. Erebus & Terror).

The longer hairs of the Fur-Seals are very slender and pale-coloured at the basal half of their length, and thicker and darker at the upper half, and often have a white tip. The basal half is subcylindrical, the upper half is flat, tapering at each end. The absolute length of the under-fur differs in the various species. Judging from the old and young specimens of _A. nigrescens_, the hairs seem to be longer, both absolutely and relatively to the under-fur, in the young than in the adult animals. The hairs of the Hair-Seals are shorter, flat, channelled above, and gradually tapering from the base to the tip, merely contracted at the insertion into the skin. The breadth of the hairs seems to vary in the different species; and in the younger specimens there are to be observed some soft hairs like the under-fur of the Fur-Seals.

The _Fur-Seals_ are _Callorhinus ursinus_, _Arctocephalus antarcticus_, _A. nigrescens_, _A. cinereus_, _A. Forsteri_, _A. falklandicus_, _Eumetopias Stelleri_, _Arctophoca Philippii_.

The _Hair-Seals_ are _Otaria jubata_, _Phocarctos Hookeri_, _Arctocephalus nivosus_, _Zalophus Gilliespii_, _Neophoca lobatus_.

Dr. Peters, in his two papers on the Eared Seals (_Otaria_) uses the length of the ears and the existence or non-existence of the under-fur, as well as the characters used by Mr. Gill and myself, to separate the species of these animals into subgenera.

The length of the ears may probably afford good characters for the separation of the species and groups, if they can be observed in the living animals. As yet, only one species of these animals, the Sea-lion or Sea-bear (_Otaria leonina_), has been observed alive in Europe; so that Dr. Peters’s notes could only be derived from the examination of more or less carefully preserved skins; and, I fear, little dependence can be placed on them.

The form of the hinder opening of the nostrils and the form of its front edge, when only one or two skulls of a species were examined, have been regarded as constituting a good character; but when an extensive series of the skulls of a single species, or of several species, have been examined, that part is found to vary considerably as to the width of its different parts, and especially in the form of its front edge. As far as my observations have extended, the hinder opening of the nostrils appears to become narrower, and especially its front edge, as the animal becomes adult or aged; and in the skulls of the younger specimens it is broader, shorter, and the front edge is broader and more truncated or straight, with only a slight rounding at the sides.

The position of the grinders as regards the front part of the zygomatic arch is a good character for the distinction of the species, especially if a series of skulls from animals of different ages, and from the same locality, of each species are compared together; and it is the same with the rooting of the grinders themselves. But when adult skulls of different species are compared together, the forms of the skulls are so altered, the grinders generally so worn and altered by age, and their position in different species so similar, that the distinction of the species then becomes more difficult.

The flap of thick bald skin produced beyond the hinder toes varies in length as compared with the toes, in the length of it before it divides into lobes, and the length of the lobes themselves in different species, and thus affords characters for their separation; but it is difficult to determine the proper length of it and its parts from a preserved specimen in the Museum. It is apt to be unnaturally stretched in length and width by the preparer, and it shrinks as it dries long after it is placed in the Museum.

If I am not deceived by the prepared skins, the flap appears to be longer in the adult than in the young specimens; and judging from the specimens in the Museum, it is longest in _Callorhinus ursinus_, and it gradually becomes shorter in _Arctocephalus antarcticus_, _A. falklandicus_, _Phocarctos Hookeri_, _A. cinereus_, _Otaria jubata_, and _A. nigrescens_. It is very short in _Neophoca lobata_ and _Eumetopias Stelleri_.

The “Prodrome of a Monograph of the Pinnipedes,” by Mr. Theodore Gill, wherein he named several genera of this group, and a paper by Dr. Peters on the _Otariæ_ of the Berlin Museum, in the ‘Monatsbericht’ for May 1866, have induced me to reexamine the skulls and skeletons in the British Museum.

I may observe that Dr. Peters considers all the Eared Seals one genus, but has divided them into seven subgenera, to each of which he gives a distinctive name. Dr. Peters’s paper is interesting as determining the specimens described by Pander and D’Alton, Johann Müller, and other German naturalists, as well as describing the more recently received specimens in the Berlin Museum, which certainly is one of the most important on the Continent.

Captain Thomas Musgrave, in a work entitled ‘Cast away on the Aucklands,’ 12mo, 1866, pp. 141 and following, gives a very interesting account of the habits and manners of the Lion-seal, showing how unlike they are in their habits to the Seals without ears (Phocidæ). The female brings forth her young far inland, and has to teach them to take to the water which is to be their future home.

Captain Weddell gives nearly the same account of the habits of the Fur-Seal, as does also Mr. Hamilton (in Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. 1839, p. 87).

Mr. J. A. Allen, in the ‘Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology’ at Harvard College, Cambridge, Mass., has published (1870) an essay on the Eared Seals (Otariadæ), with detailed descriptions of the North-Pacific species.

He divides the family into subfamilies:—

Subfam. 1. _Trichophocinæ_, without under-fur, and containing the genera OTARIA, EUMETOPIAS, ZALOPHUS.

Subfam. 2. _Eulophocinæ_, with thick under-fur, containing CALLORHINUS and ARCTOCEPHALUS.

He gives figures of the skulls of different ages of the North-Pacific species.

Mr. Allen had only the skins in salt and the bones of two North-Pacific species to study, and he does not seem to be aware that the abundance of the under-fur greatly depends on the season and age of the animal when collected; and unfortunately he seems to have had no specimens or skulls of the southern species to enable him to study their characters; yet with these limited materials he has ventured to propose a revision of the species of Otariadæ, and, from the same cause, has suggested the uniting of many incongruous species together. It may be very true that zoologists have erred (myself among the number) in making too many genera and species; but the correction of this error requires as much study and consideration of the entire subject as have been used in their determination; and science is not advanced by hasty alterations founded on a few specimens.

The Eared Seals are collected for their oil and skins. Most of the species have very dense under-fur of soft erect hairs between the bases of the longer hairs. These are called “Fur-Seals;” and the skins, when deprived of their long hairs, are very valuable. The dressed furs of the various species and localities are of very different commercial and economic value. The skins of _Neophoca lobata_ (of Australia) and _Phocarctos Hookeri_ (of the Southern Ocean), being nearly destitute of this under-fur, are called _Hair-Seals_ by the sealers. Their skins are of little comparative value, as they are only used like the skins of the Earless Seals (Phocidæ).

SYNOPSIS OF THE GENERA.

Section I. _Palate produced behind to a line even with the condyles of the jaw. Grinders 6/5·6/5. Under fur sparse._ Sea-lions.

Tribe 1. OTARIINA.

1. _Otaria._ Antarctic Seas. East and west coast of South America.