S09 



PHOCID.E. 



PHOCID^E. 



310 



If a number of species have been confounded under the name of 

 Sea-Bear, there have been several honoured with the name of Sea- 

 Lions, and among them the Elephant-Seal above-noticed. M. Lesson 

 enumerates three species of Platyrhynchut : 1, P. leoniniu (Otaria 

 jubuta, Desm., the Sea-Lion of Steller and Pernetty); 2, P. molossinus, 

 Less. (Otaria moloistna of the Zoology of La Coquille, Lesson, and 

 Garnot); and 3, P. Uraniis (Otarie Gu<Srin of Quoy and Gaimard). 

 To the first of these he assigns the Antarctic islands, such as the 

 Falklands and Tierra del Fuego, adding that Steller found it in the 

 northern hemisphere at the Kuriles ; for the second and third the 

 Falklands are the only locality given. (' Manuel.') 



Dr. Hamilton also records three species : 1, The Sea-Lion of Steller 

 (Phoca jubata, GmeL) ; 2, the Sea- Lion of Forster (Leo marinun, Buff.) ; 

 and 3, the Sea-Lion of Pernetty (Platyrhynchus Iconinus of F. Cnvier). 

 To the first of these he assigns the eastern shores of Kamtchatka and 

 the Kurile Islands, and as far as Matsmai, adding that they abound in 

 Behring's Island, and that Steller also saw them in abundance on the 

 coasts of America in July ; he assigns the southern hemisphere to the 

 second, and the Falkland Islands to the third. 



P. marinue, the Sea-Lion of Forster, has a thick skin ; hair reddish, 

 yellowish, or dark brown ; no fur, or short woolly hair under the long 

 hair ; a mane on the neck of the male reaching to the shoulders ; 

 head small in proportion to the body, which is everywhere equally 

 thick-looking, as Buffon describes it, like a great cylinder, more suited 

 for rolling than walking ; ears conical, about 6 or 7 lines long, carti- 

 lage firm and stiff, but yet rather curled at the margin ; upper lip 

 overhanging the lower, both furnished with long coarse black whiskers, 

 which become white with age. Length from 10 to 14 feet ; the femaleb 

 shorter and more slender. 





' 



Sea Lion of Forster (Leo mariiiiu). 



Captain Cook states that it is not at all perilous to go among these 

 animals, for they either fled or stood still. The only danger was in 

 going between them and the sea ; for if they took fright at anything 

 they would come down in such numbers that the person in the way 

 would be run over. When he and his party came suddenly upon them, 

 or waked them out of their sleep, they would raise up their heads, 

 snort and snarl, and look fierce, as if they meant to devour the intruder; 

 but when the men advanced the Sea-Lions always ran away. He states 

 that the male is surrounded by from twenty to thirty females, and 

 that he is very attentive to keep them all to himself, beating off every 

 male that attempts to come to his flock. Others again had a less 

 number, some no more than one or two; and here and there was 

 seen one lying growling in a retired place, suffering neither males 

 nor females to come near him. These he judged to be old and 

 superannuated. 



Forster relates that the rocks along the shore in New Tear's Harbour 

 were covered with multitudes of these Sea-Lions. He says that they 

 were often seen to seize each other with an indescribable degree of 

 rage, and that many of them had deep gashes on their backs, which 

 they had received in the wars. The younger active Sea-Lions, with all 

 the females and the cubs, lay together. When undisturbed, they were 

 often observed caressing each other in the most tender manner, and 

 their snouts often met together as if they were kissing. The same 

 author states that they come on shore on those uninhabited spots to 

 breed, and that they do not feed during their stay on land, which 

 sometimes lasts for several weeks ; they then grow lean, and swallow 

 a considerable quantity of stones to distend the stomach. He adds 

 that the stomachs of many of them were found entirely empty, and 

 those of others were filled with ten or twelve round heavy stones, 

 each of the size of two fists. 



Halichoenu (Nilsson). Head very flat; muzzle very deep. Molar 

 teeth of the upper jaw consisting of a simple point without tubercles : 

 those of the lower jaw with a rudimentary tubercle before and behind 

 the principal point. The number of incisors given in Mr. Bell's vignette 



(' British Quadrupeds') is six in the upper jaw, and the same number 

 apparently belong to the lower. No external ear. 



Dental Formula : Incisors, -; Canines, ; 



6 1 1 



Molars, 



5-5. 

 55" 



:36. 



H. griteus is the Gray Seal. This is the Phoca Gryphits of Fabricius; 

 Phoca barbata of Fleming; the Long-Bodied Seal of Parsons. Its 

 coat is white and silky, the hair two inches long, passing into a grayish 

 lead-colour on the back. Wool under the hair short and white. Length 

 from 7 to 8 feet. It is found in the seas of the North of Europe, 

 Baltic, coasts of Pomerania, and the south coast of Ireland. 



Professor Nilsson states that in the Baltic it is solitary ; but Mr. Ball 

 says that on the south coast of Ireland (Cork and Waterford) he has 

 often seen this seal in small parties, and he learned from the fishermen 

 that they had noticed as many as thirteen congregated on a rock. 

 The same author has heard them in a cave baying like large dogs. 



The comparatively small cerebral development and great expanse 

 of the bones of the face, compared with that of the cranium, indicate 

 a form inclining from the true Seals to the Walrus. All that is known 

 of the habits of the Gray Seal tends to the conclusion that it is less 

 susceptible of domestication and less intelligent than the other Seals. 



The group of animals to which the Walrus belongs differs in many 

 points from the Seals. Though the general structure of the skeleton 

 resembles that of the Seals, there is a striking difference in the cranium 

 and the teeth. In the adult lower jaw there are neither incisors nor 

 canines, and the lower jaw itself is compressed anteriorly so as to fit 

 between the two enormous tusks (canines) of the upper jaw, which 

 are sometimes two feet long and proportionably thick, and directed 

 downwards. The great alveoli, or sockets for containing these formid- 

 able teeth, produce the characteristic form of the skull of the Walrus, 

 and make the anterior part of the upper jaw present an immense 

 convex muzzle, the nostrils having an upward direction, aud not 

 terminating at the snout. All the molars are cylindrical, short, and 

 truncated obliquely. Between the two cauines are two incisors similar 

 to the molars, but Cuvier observes that the greater number of authors 

 have not considered them as incisors, although they are implanted in 

 the intermaxillary bone ; and between them, besides, in young indi- 

 viduals, are two small and pointed teeth. 



Skull and anterior portion of jaw of Walrus. Skull in proBle. Anterior 

 portion of lower jaw seen from above. 



The stomach and the intestines are nearly the same as those of the 

 Seals. (' Regne Animal.') 



Mr. MacGillivray found in the cranium of a young Walrus, in the 

 Museum of the Royal College of Surgeons in Edinburgh, three incisors 

 on each side of the upper jaw ; the first or inner very small, the second 

 a little larger, and the third or outer both disproportionately large, 

 being equal to the largest molars. There were two very small incisors 

 on each side in the lower jaw. The incisors are obliterated in adults. 



There is a general resemblance between the organisation of the 

 Walrus and that of the Seal; but the development of the brain is not 

 so great in the former as it is in the latter, and the Walrus appears 

 not to be gifted with so high a degree of intelligence as the Seal, 

 though it is far from stupid. 



Tnchechia is the generic name for the Walrus. It has the following 

 characters : Head well proportioned, round, obtuse, eyes small and 

 brilliant, upper lip remarkably thick, covered with pellucid whiskers 

 or bristles as large as a straw. Two very large canines (in the upper 

 jaw only) directed downwards. Nostrils large, rounded, placed on the 

 upper part of the snout. No external ears. 



