xiv FUR SEALS AND HAIR SEALS 451 



in six genera ; but more generic names have been proposed. At 

 the other extreme stands Dr. Mivart, who speaks of only one 

 genus, Otaria ; of this genus the number of species is by no 

 means agreed upon. There can, however, be no doubt of the 

 distinctness of the Northern Fur Seal, 0. ursina (the " Seal " of 

 commerce and the cause of international complications), of the 

 Patagonian Maned Sea-Lion, 0. jubata} of 0. pusilla of the Cape, 

 of the California!! 0. gillespiei, of 0. hookeri from the Auckland 

 Islands, and of four or five others. The range of the genus is wide, 

 but is mainly Antarctic. It is usual to speak of " Hair Seals " 

 and " Fur Seals," the latter being the species which produce the 

 " sealskin " of commerce. The difference is that in the Fur Seals 

 there is a dense, soft under-fur, which is wanting in the other group. 

 It is, however, impossible to make this character the basis of a 

 generic subdivision. There is a Fur Seal, 0. .nigrescens, in South 

 America as well as the more widely-known northern form. 



Fam. 2. Trichechidae. This family contains but one genus, 

 Trichechus, the Walrus or Morse, or Odobaenus, as the more 

 correct term seems to be. It is a tiresome result of accurate 

 conformity with the rules of priority in nomenclature that the 

 name Trichechus should be applied to the Manatee. There is but 

 one species of Walrus, though it has been attempted to show that 

 the Pacific and Eastern forms are different. The animal is Arctic 

 and circumpolar. The Walrus is characterised by the enormous 

 canines of its upper jaw, which form the well-known tusks and 

 reach a length of 30 inches. The animal can progress on land 

 like the Sea-Lions ; but, as in the Seals, there are no external 

 ears, though there is a slight protuberance above the meatus 

 auditorius. The strong bristles upon the upper lip are as thick as 

 crow quills. The pectoral limb has nails, but these are small, as 

 in the Sea-Lions. The under surface of the manus has a warty pad, 

 which cannot but assist 2 in maintaining a foothold upon slippery 

 ice. The hind-limbs have longer nails, which are still diminutive 

 and subequal in size. There is no free tail. The liver of this 

 animal is much furrowed, but not so much so as in Otaria, though 

 more so than in Phoca. The kidneys are of course lobulate, as in 

 the other aquatic Carnivores. The milk dental formula appears to 

 be I f C 1 Pm + M f . In the adult the formula 3 is I C M f . 



1 Murie, Trans. Zool. Soc. vii. 1894, p. 411. 2 Cf. the Dugong, p. 336. 



3 Kiikenthal, Jen. Zeitschr. xxviii. 1894, p. 76. 



