194 . FAMILY OTAKIID^E. 



nine species, only two of which have any tangible basis, or can 

 be determined except conjecturally, and mainly on the basis of 

 their habitat. In fact, it is almost impossible to say whether 

 they are "hair" Seals or "fur" Seals; the descriptions show 

 merely that they were some kind of Eared Seal. Desmarest's 

 species are the following: 1. Otaria leonina (= Otaria jubata+ 

 Eumetopias stelleri}; 2. Otaria ursina (= Callorliinm ursinus); 

 3. Otaria per oni (n. sp., based on a vague account by M. Bailly* 

 of an Eared Seal seen in great numbers on Eottnest Island, west 

 coast of Australia. Desrnarest doubtfully refers to it two mounted 

 skins in the Paris Museum, both of very young animals, the 

 larger only about two feet and a half long, brought from " Ter- 

 res Australes"); 4. Otaria cinerea (Peron et Lesueur, Voy. an 

 Terr. Austr., ii, 77; habitat, "lie Decres," coast of Australia; 

 an Eared Seal, with rough hair, described only in general terms, 

 and undeterminable ; probably = Zaloplms lobatus) ; 5. Otaria 

 albicollis (Peron et Lesueur, 1. c., 118; habitat, "He Eugene," 

 oast of Australia ; an Eared Seal, eight or nine feet long, char- 

 acterized by a white spot on the middle and upper part of the 

 neck ; perhaps the same as the last, but not certainly deter- 

 miuable) ; G. Otaria flavescens (Shaw, Mus. Lev. ; Gen Zoo'L, i, 

 200, pi. Ixxiii; habitat, Straits of Magellan; a "Yellowish Seal, 

 with pointed ears " ; not deterniinable, but probably = 0. jubata) ; 

 7. Otaria falklandica (= Plioca faUdandica Shaw=P/iOca aiis- 

 t rails, Zimrn.; " Cinereous Seal, with small pointed ears, and the 

 cutting-teeth marked with furrows " ; presumably the common 

 Fur Seal of the Falkland Islands) ; 8. Otaria porcina (= Plioca 

 pore ilia, Molina ; habitat, coast of Chili ; wholly undeterminable) ; 

 0. Otaria pus ilia (= LL Plioca pusilla, Linn."; a wholly mythical 

 " Otary " as described by Desinarest, supposed to inhabit the Medi- 

 terranean Sea!] Of these nine species, only one (Otaria ursina}, 



*Pe"ron et Lesueur's Voy. Terr. Austr., vol. i, p. 189. 



t In view of recent attempts to revive the name pusilla as a tenable desig- 

 nation for some species of Eared Seal, it seems desirable to state fully the 

 original basis and early history of this name. It was given originally by 

 Schreber, in 1776, to " Le Petit Phoque " of Buffon, Schreber even copying 

 Buffon's figure (Hist. Nat., xiii, 1765, pi. liii). Buifon introduces his notice 

 of this species as follows : " Le second [ espece] (Blanche LIII) qui est le phoque 

 de la Me"diterran6e & des niers du Midi, & que nous pre"sumons etre le plioca 

 des Anciens^ paroit etre d'une autre espece, car il differe des autres par la 

 qualite" & la couleur du poil qui est ondoyant & presque uoir, tandis que le 

 poil des premiers est gris & rude, il en differe encore par la forme des dents 

 & par celle des oreilles ; car il a une espece d'oreille externe tres-petite a la 

 ve'rite' . . . ." Then follows a good description of a young Fur Seal; but in 



