76 Southern Cross. 



Bay on the 29th of November, 1899. It was the only one we saw 

 during the fourteen months we spent within the Antarctic Circle. 

 It was by no means so far developed as the young of Weddell's Seal, 

 which were quite common. The following are the dimensions of the 

 calf of this White Seal : — 



Length, 4 feet 11 inches; 



Girth round flippers, 2 feet 5 inclies ; 



Girth round hips, 1 fout d) inches." 



Mr. Borchgrevink, in his narrative of the ' Southern Cross ' 

 Expedition (p. 65), mentions the occurrence of the White Seal in 

 the pack early in January, 1899. By the 5th of that month ten 

 specimens had been preserved, and on that day Mr. Hanson's diary 

 records the capture of another kind of Seal, like the White Seals in 

 appearance, but having a different cranium (vide, infra, p. 86). Mr. 

 Borchgrevink also seems to have been aware of the circumstance 

 (p. 65), but no further attempt at identification apparently took 

 place. In the south-east part of Eobertson Bay he also found two 

 of this species (p. 234). On page 102 of Mr. Borchgrevink's book, 

 the skull of the Crab-eating Seal is figured, but under the name of 

 ' Weddellii.' 



The mummies of most of the Seals found buried in the guano 

 on Cape Adare were those of the White Seal. Mr. Borchgrevink 

 (p. 237) suggests that they were all undoubtedly of this species, and 

 adds that some of them were quite young. It will be seen {infra, 

 p. 95), that Mr. Nicolai Hanson includes some Leptonyclioteis 

 weddelli in his list, and does not mention any young ones, beyond 

 the two embryos which he found inside the females. 



Mr. Bernacchi in his book (p. 37) gives an account of an 

 encounter between one of these Seals and Mr. Hanson, showing that 

 the animals can be very fierce on occasion. [See also Hanson's 

 account of the adventure {infra, p. 84).J He also (p. 274) describes 

 a meeting with a solitary White Seal, far to the south, on the Ice 

 Barrier in company with a number of Weddell's Seals. 



OMMATOPHOCA ROSSI. Boss's Seal. 

 (Plate VI.) 



Ross's Seal is nowhere common. From Mr. Hanson's private 

 diary we learn, however, that no less than four specimens of this 

 Seal were captured in the pack-ice : it was not seen elsewhere. 



