576 PHOCA V1TULINA HARBOR SEAL. 



ready indicated, numerous writers have contributed to its history . 



The first synonym of note was published by Mlsson in 

 1820, who renamed the species variegata, but the name never 

 came into general use, and was soon after abandoned by Nils- 

 son himself, who later adopted vitulina. Thieuemann, in 1824, 

 described the species as Plioca littorea, and also in the same 

 work gave the name Plioca scopulicola to an animal referred by 

 some writers to Phoca vitulina and by others to Halichcenis 

 grypm* Lesson has furnished his usual quota of synonyms 

 by giving to Liuue's Plioca vitulina the name Plioca linncei, and 

 by bestowing the names tigrina and chorisi on the common spot- 

 ted Seal of the North Pacific, the first being based on the 

 Phoque tigre of Krascheuninikow from Kamtschatka, and the 

 other on Choris's figure of his Chien de mer of Behring's Straits, 

 neither of which can be positively determined, but may be re- 

 ferred with little doubt to the present species. 



The Phoca canina of Pallas is generally conceded to be a syn- 

 onym of Phoca vitulina. The same author's Phoca largka, ap- 

 plied to a Kamtschatkan Seal, has been the source of more 

 trouble, it being too inadequately described to admit of positive 

 determination. Temminck believed it to be identical with a 

 Seal from Japan, and renamed it Phoca nummularis. In his re- 

 marks on the Seals of this region he says : "Le troisieiue Phoque 

 des parages septentriouaux de 1'ocean pacifique nous est connu 

 d'apres trois jeuues individus et d'apres uu nornbre egal de 

 peaux iucompletes d'iudividus adultes, tons rapportes du Ja- 

 pon par M. M. de Siebold et Biirger. C'est evidemment le deu- 

 xieine Phoque de Steller, Descr. du Camtsch. p. 107, et 1'espece 

 dout Pallas fait mention eu trait-ant du Phoque commun, 1. c. 

 [Zool. Eosso-Asiat.j p. 117, nota 2 ; puis le Phoque, figure sans 

 le moindre detail descriptif, dans le voyage de Choris, PL 8, 

 sous le nom de Phoque du detroit de Behriug ; peut-etre con- 

 vient-il egalement de rapprocher de cette espece inedite le 

 Phoca largha de Pallas, ibid. p. 113, n. 43. Quoi qu'il en soit, 

 nous avons cru devoir coiife'rer a ce Phoque le nom qu'il porte, 

 suivant Pallas, 1. c. p. 117, chez les Busses, savoir celui de 

 Phoque nummulaire, Phoca nummularis." There being 

 no evidence to the contrary, it may be assumed, as most subse- 

 quent writers have assumed, that Temminck's Phoca nummu- 



* Thieneinann's work, " Natnvhistorische Bemerkungeii gesammelt auf 

 einer Reiso im Norden von Europa, vorziiglich in Island in d. Jahvn 1820 

 bis 1821," I have been unable to see. Giebel and Blasius refer P. scopulicola 

 to P. vitulina, while Gray assigns it to H. grypus. 



