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.