20 Southern Cross. 



seen " one much larger in Eoyal Sound." ^ At all events, the 

 specimen which the ' Challenger ' brought home has proved to be a 

 Le'ptonyeliotes. 



In his voyage on the ' Balaena,' Mr. Bruce saw only about four 

 of this species altogether, and these singly ; Dr. Donald, however, 

 met with greater numbers. Two were quite young, and one of these 

 he attempted unsuccessfully to bring on board alive. 



Contrary to this experience, we learn from Mr. Borchgrevink 

 (p. 236) that Weddell's Seal was, next to Lohodon, the " best repre- 

 sented " Seal met with during the passage of the ' Southern Cross ' 

 through the pack-ice.^ Its numbers increased considerably as the 

 ship proceeded southwards, and in the vicinity of Coulman Island 

 and Cape Constance in Lady Newnes Bay as many as three 

 hundred were seen together. It was found breeding in Eobertson 

 Bay, and occurred throughout the winter. 



Habits. — Practically nothing is known of the habits of Weddell's 

 Seal. Like the Crab-eating Seal, it feeds, when on the pack-ice, 

 according to Dr. Eacovitza, on Euphausia, and the young, which 

 resemble little plump and hairy Bears, are born in September. 

 Unlike Lohodon, it does not show its teeth on being approached, 

 but executes a manoeuvre which is described by Eacovitza in the 

 following words : " II ouvre une large gueule rose et d'ordinaire se 

 renverse sur le dos en relevant en meme temps sa tete et I'arriere 

 train, se courbant ainsi en arc. C'est une simple manceuvre pour 

 effi'ayer I'ennemi assez naif pour se laisser prendre." It seems to 

 well deserve the epithets " silly " and " lazy." Moseley's Kerguelen 

 Island specimen " showed no fight at all, and never snarled or 

 showed its teeth." It was killed with a stone and a hunting knife. 



External a'p'pearanee. — This species seems to be recognisable 

 rather by its negative than its positive characters. Although 

 spotted, it is not so distinctly or abundantly so as the True Leopard- 

 Seal, so that it is, in this respect, intermediate between that 

 species and Eoss's Seal. Moseley described ^ the specimen which 

 he killed at Kerguelen Island as " very like the common British 

 Seal in appearance. It is spotted yellowish-white and dark grey on 



^ H. N. Moseley's 'Notes by a Naturalist: an account of Observations made 

 daring the Voyage of H.M.S. " Challenger " round the world in the years 1872-1876,' 

 &c. London, " New " edition, p. 174, 1892. 



^ Cf. infra, p. 94. 



^ It is a ]iity that Moseley made the very pardonable error of alluding to his 

 specimen as " a Sea- Leopard (Stenorhynchus leptonyx, Gray)" since such errors are 

 readily copied and not easily eradicated. Moseley's description is, for instance, 

 quoted under the heading of the True Leopard-Seal on ]}. 143 of vol. ii. of the 

 * Royal Natural History.' 



