576 PHOCA V1TULINA HARBOR SEAL. 



ready indicated, numerous writers have contributed to its history. 



The first synonym of note was published by ^Nilsson in 

 1820, who renamed the species variegata, but the name never 

 came into general use, and was soon after abandoned by Mis- 

 son himself, who later adopted mtulina. Thienemann, in 1824, 

 described the species as Phoca littorea, and also in the same 

 work gave the name Phoca scopulicola to an animal referred by 

 some writers to Phoca mtulina and by others to Halichcerus 

 grypus.* Lesson has furnished his usual quota of synonyms 

 by giving to Linnets Phoca mtulina, the name Phoca linnceij and 

 by bestowing the names tigrina and chorisi on the common spot- 

 ted Seal of the North Pacific, the first being based on the 

 Phoque tigre of Kraschenninikow from Kamtschatka, and the 

 other on Choris's figure of his Chien de mer of Behring's Straits, 

 neither of which can be positively determined, but may be re- 

 ferred with little doubt to the present species. 



The Phoca canina of Pallas is generally conceded to be a syn- 

 onym of Phoca mtulina. The same author's Phoca largha, ap- 

 plied to a Kamtschatkan Seal, has been the source of more 

 trouble, it being too inadequately described to admit of positive 

 determination. Temminck believed it to be identical with a 

 Seal from Japan, and renamed it Phoca nummularis. In his re- 

 marks on the Seals of this region he says : "Le troisieme Phoque 

 des parages septentriouaux de Pocean pacifique nous est connu 

 d'apres trois jeunes individus et d'apres un nombre egal de 

 peaux incompletes d'individus adultes, tous rapportes du Ja- 

 pon par M. M. de Siebold et Burger. C'est evidemment le deu- 

 xieme Phoque de Steller, Descr. du Camtsch. p. 107, et Pespece 

 dont Pallas fait mention en traitant du Phoque coinmun, 1. c. 

 [Zool. Eosso-Asiat.] p. 117, nota 2 : puis le Phoque, figure san& 

 le moindre detail descriptif, dans le voyage de Choris, PL 8 r 

 sous le norn de Phoque du detroit de Behring ; peut-tre coii- 

 vient-il egalement de rapprocher de cette espece inedite le 

 Phoca largha de Pallas, ibid. p. 113, n. 43. Quoi qu'il en soit, 

 nous avons cru devoir confe"rer a ce Phoque le nom qu'il porte, 

 suivant Pallas, 1. c. p. 1 17, chez les Eusses, savoir celui de 

 Phoque nummulaire, Phoca nummularis." There being 

 no evidence to the contrary, it may be assumed, as most subse- 

 quent writers have assumed, that Temminck's Phoca nummu- 



* Thienemann's work, " Natnrhistorische Bemerkungen gesammelt auf 

 einer Reise im Norden von Europa, vorziiglich in Island in d. Jahrn 1820 

 bis 1821," I have been unable to see. Giebel and Blasius refer P. scopulicola 

 to P. vitulina, while Gray assigns it to H. grypus. 



