Hector. — Notes on the Southern Seals. 259 



able from having the power when enraged of inflating its nose 

 so as to form a proboscis. The male is much larger than the 

 female, being sometimes 22ft. in length, while the female 

 measures about 10ft. They never go far from land, and in 

 the month of November they go ashore in large herds for the 

 purpose of shedding their winter coats, after which the calving 

 takes place. The mating-season is in February, by which 

 time the males become very thin, as they eat no food during 

 their sojourn on land. 



This seal was greatly prized for its oil, which is obtained 

 from a thick layer of blubber underneath the skin. They 

 formerly assembled in incredible numbers on the various 

 southern islands, and their bones are found in old Maori 

 camping-grounds on the New Zealand coast. They were first 

 hunted about the commencement of the present century, but 

 it is now many years since they were ruthlessly extirpated 

 on all but a few of the most desolate and inaccessible of their 

 retreats. 



A very interesting note regarding the sea-elephant has 

 been given by Professor Scott in his account of the Macquarie 

 Islands (Trans. N.Z. Inst., vol. xv., p. 492). 



In conclusion, I may remark that the information which 

 we possess concerning the life-history of the forms which exist 

 in the Antarctic seas is most imperfect and unsatisfactory, 

 especially with regard to the forms that are commercially 

 valuable, such as seals, whales, and fishes. 



Professor Sir W. Turner, of Edinburgh University, gives 

 the following classification in vol. xxvi. of the " Keports of 

 the ' Challenger' Expedition " : — 



A. EARLESS SEALS. 



Phocid^:. 



Phocince. 

 Arctic. 



Phoca vitulina. North Atlantic. 



„ grcenlanclica (harp seal). North Atlantic. 

 „ hispida (ringed seal). North Atlantic. 

 „ barbata (bearded seal). North Atlantic. 

 HalichccrWS grypus (grey seal). North Atlantic. 



Ogmorhinince. 

 Antarctic. 



Ogmorhinus leptonyx (sea-leopard). 



„ carcinophagus (crab-seal). 



Leptonychotes wcddelli. 

 Omatophoca rossii. 



Northern. 



Monachus monachus (monk-seal). Mediterranean. 



