Z BULLETIN OF THE 



was written, is fully confirmed by Captain Bryant, who seems to have 

 been the first naturalist who lias bad an opportunity of verifying Steller's 

 observations. Tbe history of this species is now far more fully known 

 than that of any of its congeners, and better in fact than the majority 

 of our hest known mammals. A remarkable similarity of habits, how- 

 ever, so far as known, seems to pervade the whole group of eared 

 seals. — a similarity which in many respects extends also to the wal- 

 rus and tbe sea elephant (Mixcrorhinus elephantinus). As matter of 

 collateral interest, for comparison with the account given by Captain 

 Bryant of the species so fully described by him, the principal notices of 

 the habits of the other species of the family have been cited as foot- 

 notes to Captain Bryant's article, and occasional abstracts are given 

 of those most pertinent to the subject. 



Through the important labors of Messrs. Gray, Gill, and Peters 

 our knowledge of the Otariadce has recently been greatly increased ; 

 yet not a single species of the family has been hitherto very satisfac- 

 torily known. Regarding the able essays of these gentlemen published 

 in 1866 as representing the state of our knowledge of these animals 

 five years since, their somewhat discrepant opinions respecting the 

 number of known species, their distinctive characters, and their mutual 

 affinities sufficiently indicate how imperfectly they were then known. 

 A comparatively large number of specimens of the Olaria jubata has 

 since been received at different scientific museums, which, with the 

 facts obtained from persons who have recently been able to observe 

 this species in its natural haunts, have served to render it, up to 

 the present writing, the best known of any of the family. The 

 number of specimens formerly possessed by naturalists having been 

 very small, and the sex, age, and habitat of the individuals they repre- 

 sented being generally but vaguely known, the unusually great differ- 

 ences resulting from individual variation, as well as from sex and age, 

 which recent developments prove to exist in these animals, remained 

 for a long time unsuspected, and are even now, it would seem, not fully 

 appreciated by the few naturalists who alone have given them special 

 attention. Hence there has arisen in many cases an almost unparalleled 

 complication of synonomy and an unusually large number of nominal 

 species.* 



* The synonomy of Olaria jubata, for example, embraces no less than fifteen distinct 

 speeiii • hi: 



