422 FAMILY PHOCID^E. 



ence is necessary, since these descriptions became later the basis., 

 in part or wholly, of various systematic names. 



As early as 1741 the Harp Seal and the Crested Seal were- 

 figured (or caricatured) by Egede* under the names respectively 

 of Svartsiide and Klapmiiis. He says in the accompanying text 

 that Seals are of different sorts and sizes, but have all the same 

 shape, except the Rlapmiits, which is the only species he ex- 

 pressly distinguishes in the text. Ellis,t in 1748, again rudely 

 figured these two species under the names "Blackside Seal" 

 and u Seal with a (Jawl ". Although lie gives of them no descrip- 

 tions, subsequent systematic writers have seen fit to cite the' 

 names and figures given by both these writers, but their interest 

 is purely historic. 



The same year (1748) was also published in Alison's "Voy- 

 age":]: the first specially important account of the Southern Sea- 

 Elephant (" Sea Lion" of Anson), since it became later the basis 

 of Linne's Phoca leonina, and, besides, is one of the fullest and 

 most explicit descriptions of the habits of the species extant. 



S teller,' in his memoir entitled "De Bestiis Marinis", published 

 in 1751, distinguished three species of Seals as follows : " Dis- 

 tinguo autein phocas ratione magnitudiuis in tres species, in 

 niaximam, quae magnitudine Taurum superat, ac solummodo in 

 oceauo Oriental! a gradu latitudinis 50. ad 59. occurrit, ac in colis 

 Kamtschaticis Lachtak vocatur. Mediae magnitudinis, quae om- 

 nes Tigridum instar, multis exiguis maculis variae sunt, 3. in- 

 fimae magnitudinis, ut Oceauica, quae tarn in mari Balthico, 

 quarn circa portum Sti Archaugeli, in Suecia, Xorwegia, Amer- 

 ica et Kam.tsch.atka capitur, et lacustris dulcium aquarum mono- 

 chroa sen unicolor, ut Baikal! ea coloris argentei." The first 

 two of the species here thus briefly mentioned, have been quoted 

 by Schreber, Erxleben, Gmelin, and by some later writers, as 

 respectively, " Phoca maxima, Steller" (also "Lachtak, Steller"), 

 and u Phoca oceanica, Steller," the first being referred to Phoca 

 barbata, and the other sometimes to Phoca vitulina and sometimes 

 to Phoca grocnlamlica. 



In 1744 Parsons published a paper entitled "Some Account 



*Det gamle Gr^iilamls nye Pcrlustration, eller Natural-Historic, og Besk- 

 rivelse over det gainle Gr0nlan<Ts Situation, Luft, Teiuperament og Beskaffen- 

 Ijed, etc. 1741-. Plate facing p. 4fi. H< also figures the common Seal under 

 the name Spraylet. 



t A Voyage to Hudson's Bay, etc., 1748, plate facing p. 134. 



t A Voyage around the World in 1740-1744, p. 172. 



$ Nov. Comm. Acad. Petrop., toiu. ii, p. 290. 



