Mr. R. Hamilton on the Fur Seal of Commerce. 89 



regret that we are not aware of the existence of a cranium of 

 this species in any of our museums, and therefore we cannot 

 supply its specific characters, or compare them with those of 

 any of the established genera. After the foregoing details 

 however we need scarcely remark that it is a very different 

 animal from the ursine seal, with which M. Lesson, almost 

 the only author, so far as we have perceived, who touches upon 

 this point, has identified it. This intelligent naturalist, who 

 himself spent a considerable time in the antarctic regions, in 

 the able article on the Phoca in the e Dictionnaire Classique 

 des Sciences Naturelles/ expressly says, " I/Otarie de Forster 

 est la Phoque a fourriers des pecheurs Europeens*;" theOtary 

 of Forster, better known under the name of the sea bear or 

 ursine seal. But we have no positive evidence that the ursine 

 seal is a fur seal in contradistinction to a hair seal, in which 

 latter character it is unquestionably prized. The difference of 

 these two species is, we apprehend, too plain to require much 

 elucidation. Concluding with the illustrious Peron, that the 

 ursine seal of the southern hemisphere is different from that 

 of the northern, which is known as Steller's sea bear, still the 

 descriptions supplied of the southern variety are too specific 

 to leave any doubt on the subject. Dampierf states that at 

 Juan Fernandez the sea bear was found of the size of an ordi- 

 nary calf; and Forster remarks that those found in New Yearns 

 Island, Staten-land, equal the size assigned by Steller to his 

 bear, that is, to that of its terrestrial namesake, of a large 

 size. But in addition to this we have again the valuable testi- 

 mony of Mr. Weddell. After what has been stated, no one 

 can doubt of his acquaintance with the fur seal. He was also 

 familiar with the ursine seal, both as encountered in its haunts 

 and as described by naturalists J ; and yet when speaking of 

 the ursine seal (so denominated by him) he never once hints 

 that its fur has any peculiar value, but on the contrary ex- 

 cludes it with the others, and ranks it merely as a hair seal. 

 Were any further corroboration on this point required it may 

 be found in the testimony of our furriers. We have inquired 

 of a considerable number of them, and especially of M. L'Ry, 



* Diet. Class, t. xiii. 422. f Voyage, p. 137. 



X Loc. cit. p. 199. 



