272 DISCOVERY REPORTS 



perhaps "hair seal" in order to distinguish it from the fur seal, which is also well 

 known, at any rate by repute. The adult male Otaria is generally termed a "lion" and 

 the female a "clapmatch", a name derived from the Scandinavian "klapmyss" {Cristo- 

 phora cristata). In the first place "clapmatch" was applied to the elephant seal, a 

 proceeding more logical than might be expected, but by carelessness or ignorance the 

 name has become transferred to the female sea Hon in the Falklands and Australia 

 and has even been used for the female fur seal in the latter place. In the Falklands 

 people may be found who are quite prepared to argue that "sea lion" is the name of 

 the adult male only and not of the whole species. 



The species has been known since the beginning of the sixteenth century. In 

 Pigafetta's account of Magellan's voyage (1520) mention is made of "sea-wolves of 

 many colours" being seen on the coast of South America to the south of Cabo Santa 

 Maria, which is on the north side of the entrance to the Rio de la Plata ; great variation 

 in colour is a distinctive character of Otan'a byroiiia. The name used here, " sea-wolf", is 

 merely a translation of the Spanish name for a seal — " lobo marino " — which is still in use 

 for the sea lion in South America, while the word " lobo " (wolf) is also embodied in the 

 name for the fur seal — " lobo fino ", or " lobo de dos pelos ", that is with two kinds of pelt. 



In the narrative of Loaysa's voyage (1526) a seal was stated to have been killed at the 

 Santa Cruz River in Patagonia having "several large stones in the stomach, as big as 

 a fist and very smooth", again pointing to Otaria. 



The sea lions were regarded as an important source of "refreshment" on the 

 Patagonian coast: for example, from two to three hundred were killed on the " Islas 

 de los Lobos", probably those in 45° 03' S, for the expedition of Simon de Alcazaba 

 (1535). Then Drake's people "kylled some seyles for owr provysyon" and later took 

 "two hundred in the space of one hour", at Port Desire (Patagonia) on the same 

 Penguin Island where John Davis salted twenty hogsheads of seal meat in 1592. 

 Similarly Cavendish laid in a stock of salted seal meat in 1587 from another Penguin 

 Island, apparently in the Magellan Straits. 



Perhaps the best early description of Otaria byronia is that in the narrative of the 

 voyage of the brothers Nodal (1619). They came to a place where the number of sea 

 lions was so great that they did not venture to attack them or even to land ; of the seals 

 it was said that the males were of the size of bullocks and brown or black, while the 

 females were bigger than large hounds and rather white. " The hands are like those of 

 a turtle and the feet like a duck's with bones like fingers. The tail is short." 



Other writers have at least indicated some of the external characters — "The former 

 part like unto a lyons, with shagge hair and mostache" (Hawkins, 1593) and "their 

 hands and feet were like wings but with nails showing". Hawkins took rather an 

 anthropomorphic view of his sea lions. Writing of some they had tried to kill, he says 

 that there was "a great company of seals" and "after they had recovered the water, 

 they did, as it were, scorne us, defie us, and daunced before us". The sea lions were, 

 of course, bobbing up and down in the water to inspect the creatures which had made 

 the disturbance. 



