G4 



by him. Although the bay was habited by a party of eleven 

 sealers, who had boeii for a long period employed in the 

 slaughter, he described the portion where he landed as being 

 covered witli sea elephants, whose brown colour rendered them 

 conspicuous on the beaches, and caused them to a])pear from 

 a distance like grent black rocks. On his approach some fled, 

 while others remained motionless on the sand and regarded 

 him with indifference. Elsewhere he says, "all the coasts of 

 this island are covered with a prodigious number of amphibia, 

 some of which nttain twenty-five or thirty feet in length, which 

 have become a source of valuable commerce to the English." 

 He speaks of an abundance of emu, and notes the absence of 

 aboriginal inhabitants. The sea elephant was killed for its 

 skin, for the oil which was obtained in large amounts, and for 

 the tongue which was considered a great delicacy. A small 

 portion remained all the year round but the great masses 

 migrated to and from the south, arriving about June, and 

 leaving some months later. It differed from other seals in 

 preferring sandy beaches to rocks, and evinced a partiality to 

 bathing in fresh water ; it was mild and inoffensive and easily 

 killed. It was almost entirely confined to the Hunter Islands, 

 King's Island, and New Year's Island, a very few were found 

 on the Sisters Islands, north of Flinders ; a few were occasion- 

 ally forced by tempests on the New Holland and Tasmanian 

 shores, the natives on such occasions destroying the exhausted 

 animal by thrusting flaming brands down its throat ! The 

 sea elephant appears to have browsed on kelp, and M. Peron 

 specially states that no remains of fish or any other bony 

 animal were ever discovered within their stomachs. Those 

 who feel further interested in the natural history of this 

 grand and valuable animal will find the amplest details in 

 M. Peron's volumes. 



The species next in importance in point of size, though 

 not in value, is the sea leopard (Stenorynchus leptonyx) — ■ 

 *' GoulcVs Mammals of Australia'' — which still occurs sparsely 

 throughout the islands, and occasionally on the coast. This 

 attains more than ten feet in length, and is distinguished 

 from the others by its spotted skin. M. Peron speaks of 

 "Waterhouse Island as frequented in his time by great numbers 

 of seals of enormous size, and which were probably individuals 

 of this species. I do not think, however, that it was nearly 

 so abundant generally as the next two to which I shall refer. 

 In regard to these great confusion prevails. 



The species Arctocephalus lohatus is also figured in the 

 ^^ Mammals of Australia,'' and Dr. Gray is quoted. He states 

 " that this species and the A. Roolceri are called hair seals 

 by the sealers, because they are destitute of any under fur ; 



