63 



attributed to local variations. Mr. John Gould, in his large 

 illustrated work upon the " Mammals of Australia'' has figured 

 t\^o species, and speaks of the seals as being even in bis day of 

 rare occurrence or almost extinct. My own enquiries have 

 led me to the belief that three very distinct species still 

 remain extant, and possibly a stray wanderer from the south 

 belonging to the tribe of the great sea elephant may occasion- 

 ally pay a hurried visit to the ancient domain of his ancestors. 

 We have no authentic record, however, of such having been the 

 case within late years, but it must be remembered that the 

 once favourite spots of these gigantic sea monsters are upon a 

 remote island, and in that portion of it now rarely visited, while 

 it would be only during a limited period of the year that these 

 animals might be looked for. 



It is remarkable that neither Bass nor Flinders give any 

 special account of the sea elephant, although the latter visited 

 King's Island in the year 1802, in the month of April, near 

 the time when sea elephants should have I'een arriving in 

 their migration from the southAvard. However, Mr. Flinders' 

 stay was short, and only paid to one portion of the coast, and 

 it is possible that as this island had already been known to 

 sealers for three seasons, having been discovered by a Mr. Reid 

 prior to 1799, that the wholesale slaughter of these helpless 

 and inoffensive monsters had already gone far towards their 

 expatriation. Mr. Flinders obtained one example of which he 

 says : " A seal of a species different to any yet seen by us was 

 also procured ; its flippers behind were double when compared 

 to the common kinds of seal, and those forward were smaller 

 and placed nearer to the head ; the hair was much shorter, 

 and of a bluish grey colour, the nose flat and broad, and the 

 fat upon the animal was at least treble the usual quantity. I 

 never saw the sea elephant, and possibly this might have been 

 a young female, but there was no appearance of any trunt." 

 It may be noted that both Bass and Flinders appear to have 

 been very familiar with both the hair and fur seal, with 

 neither of which does this description tally. The most full and 

 accurate description, however, has been left us by that very 

 excellent naturalist, M. Peron, in his, " Voyage de decouvertes 

 aux Terres Australes,'' who arrived at King's Island, in Bass* 

 Straits, on December 10th, 1802, and after landing at Sea 

 Elephant Bay was detained there for 15 d^^ys by the vessel 

 having to run off shore before a gale of wind through the 

 cable having been chafed asunder by sharp pointed rocks, which 

 are specially referred to as involving such a danger b}? M. 

 Peron, whose opinion has been fatally confirmed within our 

 own time by the disaster attending the telegraphic cal)le, 

 which must have been laid down upon the very rocks described 



