^6 Southern Cross. 



OMMATOPHOCA. 



Omi — hoca, .1. K. Grnv, Z.k.1. Voy. ' Erchii^' and ' Terror^ p. 7, 1844 ; Barretf- 



, AnUircti.- Manual, ]». li'-M (litOl). Type Ommatnphocn rossi. 

 Omtnntophora (misprint for Ommatophoca), Turner, P. Zool. Soc, 1848, p. 88. 



OMMATOPHOCA ROSSI.— Ross's Seal. 



Ommatophoca rossii, .1. K. (Jray, Zoul. Voy. 'Erebus' aud 'Terror,' ]>i\ 7-8, 



1. «. vii. »V viii. 1SJ4; Cat. of IJones of Mammalia, Brit. Mus. p. 142, 1862; Cat. 



S lis, Brit. Mus. j.p. m to lo, ISGO; List of tlic Seals, &c. Brit. Mus. 



\: l.">, IHH; T. CJili, rrcKlromc of a Monograph of the I'innipedes, Conim. 



KsM'x InsJitute, p. 0, July 18(36: Allen, Hist. N. Amer. Pinnijx^ds, p. 467 



' . pp. 4i:?, 414, 416, 419, 420, 449, 451, 453, 458, 450 Sc 463), 18.S0; 



Wry. Sells, Vov. ' Chalh'iiger' iu the years 1873-76, pi>. 65-66, 1888; 



1 . 1*. /. S. lS'.t2, f.p. 106-7 to 114-15, 1894, pp. 237-238 ; VV. Kiikentlial, 



i r. Medic. Natur. Gesellscli. Jena, iii. p. 443, 1893, & Jenaisclieu 



ft. xxviii. IM. N. P. xxi. p. 115, 1893; E. H. Racovitza, La Vie des 



, ( t des I'laiites dans I'Antarctique, p. 30, 1900 ; Bernacchi, To the 



.- "lar Hi-gions, pp. 44, 45, 1901 (photo.). 



" New (Speciw of) Seal discovered January 21, 1899 " (with figure). Sir George 

 .W'vvncs, Slrau'l Magazine, !^eptember 1899, pp. 283 & 284; Bcrcbgrevink, 

 O'm-//-. Journ. October 1900, p. 403. 



" liossii." IWchgrevink, First on the Antarctic Continent, pp. 74, 103, 1901 

 -. of skull, upi^er and lower aspect). 



Ti/j'c.—'So. 43.11.25.4 (324a) of the British Museum collection. 



The si/noni/mi/ of this species presents no difficulties. 



I/i.stnri/. — Fur the first description of this Seal, as also of Lobodon 

 ami Lrptonychotoi, we are indebted to Dr. J. E. Gray. Until the return 

 of tlie ' Jkltjica ' from her imprisonment in the Antarctic pack-ice our 

 kno\vle(lj,'e of Koss's Seal was of the most slender description. The 

 Ur< known .specimens were those brouoht home by Sir James Pioss 

 fr-Mii an unknown locality in the South Polar regions. These, a 

 -I- ill and two skulls, for many years remained the unique representa- 



^ nf their nice in Europe, if not in the world. I am indebted to 

 rr»if<->-"r I)*Arcy W. Thompson for the information that a skin and 

 skull of thi.s rare species were presented to the Town Museum of 

 Ihimlec, hut that the skull seems to have been lost, and its where- 



ita cannot he traced. No specimens, therefore, of those brought 

 uuiuL' by the ' Jkhfica' and 'Southern Cross' could exceed in value 

 ihosi' of Uos-s's Seal. 



The first naturali.st to lay claim to the rediscovery of Boss's Seal 



Mr. W. S. I'.ruce, who states that the " Mottled Grey Seal," as he 



- it. wan with the Crab-Eating Seal "in greatest abundance" on 

 ' " They were usually associated with the Creamy-White 



S-.ih ^/ ) on the pack, and 1 found many to be with young." 



