90 Mr. R. Hamilton on the Fur Seal of Commerce. 



who for years was superintendent of one of the largest fur 

 concerns in the metropolis of the empire, and was in the habit 

 of overhauling great cargoes of south seal skins ; and the only 

 response we have obtained is, that there is but one seal which 

 has yielded this particular fur. On visiting M. I/Ry he speedily 

 informed us that he happened to have lying by him a skin of 

 the true fur seal, which he immediately produced, and it ap- 

 peared manifestly to be identical with the two given by Capt. 

 Weddell to the College Museum. The same gentleman in- 

 formed us that the fur of this valuable animal is prepared by a 

 process quite different from that employed for the others, the 

 hair being entirely removed, which is done by heating the 

 skin, and then carding it in a peculiar manner with a large 

 wooden knife prepared for the purpose : the fur then appears 

 in all its perfection. 



But though we consider it was a decided mistake in that 

 naturalist, who of all others might have been supposed best 

 acquainted with the subject, to confound this fur seal with the 

 ursine, yet, as we before hinted, we think it evident there has 

 been obscure notices of this seal in former and remote periods 

 of the history of the science ; and to these it will be now in- 

 teresting shortly to advert. 



It will be remembered by many that in most of our sy- 

 stematic works there is appended to the supposed ascertained 

 species of this interesting group, a list of obscure and doubtful 

 ones which have long maintained their place, without almost 

 anything being known regarding them. In this position we 

 find the Falklandica and longicollis, both of which we are 

 disposed to consider as the same with the fur seal, and conse- 

 quently with each other. All our modern systematists, French 

 and English, have ranked the Falklandica as an otary ; and 

 considering its true value, it is not a little curious that its cha- 

 racter and natural history have been so much obscured. This 

 seal seems to have been introduced to notice by Pennant. 

 66 There has of late," says he, " been introduced into the Mu- 

 seum of the Royal Society, from the Falkland Islands, another 

 seal, the length of which is four feet ; its hair is short, cine- 

 reous, tipped with dirty white ; the nose is short, beset with 

 strong black bristles ; the external auricles are short, narrow 

 and pointed ; the upper teeth are sulcated transversely ; the 



