3 



The Annals 



of 



Scottish Natural History 



NO. 2] 1892 [APRIL 



THE OCCURRENCE OF THE HOODED SEAL 

 (CYSTOPHORA CRIST AT A, ERXLEBEN) IN 

 BENBECULA. 



By J. MACNAUGHT CAMPBELL, F.Z.S. 



THAT this rare species may have occurred more frequently 

 than is recorded is very probable ; the want of competent 

 observers and the habits of the whole tribe are such as to 

 prevent its appearance being noted more often than it has 

 been. Semi-migratory in its nature, it is possible that in our 

 outlying islands and skerries this well-marked species may 

 be a more frequent visitor than we are aware of. 



Although its appearance has been without doubt recorded 

 on three different occasions on the. shores of the United 

 Kingdom, once in the Orwell in 1847 ("Zoologist" 1847), 

 once at Frodsham on the Mersey in 1873 (" Proc. Zool. Soc." 

 1873), and at St. Andrews on the 22d July 1872; the 

 latter record is the only one, so far as I am aware, relating 

 to Scotland, and is fully described in the " Scottish Naturalist," 

 vol. ii. pp. 1-8, by Mr. Robert Walker. In the Orkneys, 

 although it is " said to have been killed there," no record is 

 given of such a fact in the recently published and valuable 

 contribution to our faunal literature the "Fauna of the Orkney 

 Islands," by Messrs. Harvie-Brown and Buckley, the authors 

 2 B 



