Mammalia. 47 



It is, however, questionable whether Mr. Bruce's identification was 

 correct {vide infra, p. 49). 



Following Mr. Bruce, came the Belgian Antarctic Expedition, 

 which, however, found this Seal but rarely. According to Dr. 

 Eacovitza, it was encountered on only thirteen occasions during the 

 sojourn of the ' Bclgica ' in the ice. To this expedition we owe the 

 first photographs ever taken of this rare Mammal, and our interest in 

 it is but heightened by Dr. Eacovitza's vivid description of its 

 peculiar appearance and strange voice. 



So little known, in fact, was Boss's Seal that the members of 

 the ' Southern Cross ' Expedition did not at first recognise it. 

 The result was the announcement in the Strand Magazine of the 

 discovery of a new species of Seal on January 27th, 1899. Illus- 

 trations taken from photographs were also published, from a glance 

 at which Dr. Eacovitza was able to surmise that the supposed 

 new Seal was in reality the present species.^ 



Like the ' Bclgica,' the ' Soiithcrn Cross ' found this species " very 

 poorly represented." Only four specimens were secured, all in the 

 pack; of these one only was a female. These, no doubt, represent 

 the four skins and skulls whicli have been examined by me, and two 

 of which are now in the collection of the British Museum. 



Distrihution. — Although probably poorer in numbers than the 

 other three species. Boss's Seal is thus shown to have a fairly wide 

 distribution, having been found (excluding Boss's own specimens, the 

 locality for which is uncertain), so far as we know, in all cases on 

 the pack-ice in the neighbourhood of Joinville Island and Louis 

 Philippe Land (Bruce), west of Alexander Land ('Belgica '), and in 

 the neighbourhood of Victoria Land {'Southern Cross '). 



Habits. — Of the habits of Boss's Seal practically nothing was 

 known until the publication of Dr. Eacovitza's interesting notes. 

 As has been already stated, that naturalist found it, like Weddell's 

 Seal, the White Seal and the Leopard-Seal, an inhabitant of the 

 pack-ice, where it feeds exclusively on large Cephalopods. 



The most novel observation, however, is that which has regard to 

 its voice, which is said to be very curious. Tlie sounds which it 

 emits are very varied. " Son larynx fortement gonfle constitue une 

 caisse de resonance, et le voile du palais tres developpe, distendu par 

 de I'air, constitue a I'animal une sorte de cornemuse. On entend 

 d'abord, chez la bete irritee, une sorte de roucoulement de tourterelle 

 enrouee, auquel succede le gloussement d'une poule aftblee de terreur, 



^ Mr. Hanson, as I learn from the other officers of the scientific staff on the 

 ' Southern Cross,' always maintained that the supposed new Seal was nothing but 

 Boss's Seal. See also Beraaccbi {t.c. pp. 44, 45). — R. B. S. 



