258 Transactions. — Zoology. 



seasons, but chiefly during the summer months, from February 

 to May. I have always observed the seals closely, and have 

 collected many specimens. 



The male fur-seal used to arrive about the 5th November 

 on inaccessible rocky platforms outside the entrance to the 

 fjords, or sounds, and the cows began to arrive about the 1st 

 December. At the same date all the young stock — males up 

 to seven and females up to three or four years old — went to 

 still more exposed places by themselves, and spent the moult- 

 ing-season, until about the end of March, when, having ac- 

 quired the new fur coat, they proceeded to sea. The last of 

 these " hauling-grounds," as they are called, I have known in 

 New Zealand was at Cape Foulwind, but formerly they were 

 all round the coast. In the breeding-grounds or " rookeries " 

 the old males keep guard on the females and newly-born pups 

 until the close of the rutting-season, about the 15th February, 

 and then desert them, being then in a feeble and emaciated 

 condition from having fasted, and fed only on their own fat, for 

 several months. The females remain with the pups until 

 they learn to swim and to catch fish for themselves, and 

 about the end of May they all leave the coast, only occasion- 

 ally a groggy old bull remaining behind for the winter months. 



II. Earless Seals. 



A. Sea-leopards. 



Of these, four species are known. Stenorhynchus lepto- 

 nyx : This is common round the New Zealand coast, but is 

 a solitary animal. They frequently come on shore, and, not- 

 withstanding their feeble powers of locomotion, they scramble 

 far back into the bush in flat country, and occasionally 

 ascend rivers for a long distance. For instance, one of the 

 seals ascended the Waikato Eiver, a few years ago, as far as 

 Hamilton, and was claimed by the Maoris as being a real 

 " taniwha." Another species, Lepttonychotes weddelli, was 

 only known until lately from a single specimen obtained by 

 Boss's Antarctic expedition ; but last month I identified a 

 splendid specimen in Mr. Drew's museum at Wanganui as 

 being of this species. It was stranded on the beach outside 

 Wanganui Heads. The other two species of earless seals 

 are Lobodon carcinophaga and Omatophoca rossii; they were 

 both collected in the Antarctic seas, but are only imperfectly 

 known. 



B. Sea-elephant (Macrorhinus clephantina) . 



This huge seal was formerly abundant on many of the 

 Antarctic islands, but is now almost confined to Kerguelen's 

 Land, Hood Island, and the Macquarie Islands. It is remark- 



