194 FAMILY OTAEIID^. 



nine species, only two of which have any tangible basis, or can 

 be determined except conjecturally, and mainly on the basis of 

 their habitat. In fact, it is almost impossible to say whether 

 they are "hair" Seals or "fur" Seals 5 the descriptions show 

 merely that they were some kind of Eared Seal. Desmarest's 

 species are the following: 1. Otaria leonina (= Otaria juhata-\- 

 Umnetopias stelleri)', 2. Otaria ursina {= Callorhinus ursinus)'^ 

 3. Otaria peroni (n. sp., based on a vague account by M. Bailly * 

 of an Eared Seal seen in great nAimbers on Eottnest Island, west 

 coast of Australia. Desmarest doubtfully refers to it two mounted 

 skins in the Paris Museum, both of very young animals, the 

 larger only about two feet and a half long, brought from " Ter- 

 res Australes ") ; 4. Otaria cinerea (Peron et Lesiieur, Voy. au 

 Terr. Austr., ii, 77 ; habitat, " He Decres," coast of Australia ; 

 an Eared Seal, with rough hair, described only in general terms, 

 and undeterminable ; probably = Zaloplms lohatus) ; 5. Otaria 

 cilhicollis (Peron et Lesueur, 1. c, 118; habitat, "He Eugene," 

 coast of Australia 5 an Eared Seal, eight or nine feet long, char- 

 acterized by a white spot on the middle and upper part of the 

 neck ; perhaps the same as the last, but not certainly deter- 

 minable); G. Otaria flavescens {Sha^i'^ Mus. Lev.; Gen Zool., i, 

 260, pi. Ixxiii; habitat. Straits of Magellan; a "Yellowish Seal, 

 with x^ointed ears " ; not determinable, but probably = 0. jiibata) ; 

 7. Otaria falJclandica {= Fhoca faJJdandica Shaw=P/iOca aus- 

 trails J Zimm. ; " Cinereous Seal, with small pointed ears, and the 

 cutting-teeth marked with furrows " ; presumably the common 

 Fur Seal of the Falkland Islands) ; 8. Otaria imrcina (= PJioca 

 ])orcina, Molina ; habitat, coast of Chili ; wholly undeterminable) ; 

 9. Otaria inmlla {='' Plioca pusilla, Linn."; a wholly mythical 

 " Otary " as described by Desmarest, supposed to inhabit the Medi- 

 terranean Sea ! t Of these nine species, only one {Otaria ursina), 



* P^ron et Lesiieur's Voy. Terr. Austr., vol. i, p. 189. 



t In view of recent attempts to revive the name jjMsiZZa as a tenable desig- 

 nation for some species of Eared Seal, it seems desirable to state fully the 

 original basis and early Mstory of tbis name. It was given originally by 

 Scbreber, in 1776, to "Le Petit Pboque" of Buffon, Scbreber even copying 

 Buffon's figure (Hist. Nat., siii, 1765, pi. liii). Buffon introduces bis notice 

 of tbis species as follows : " Le second [espece] (planche LIII) qui est le pboque 

 de la M6diterran6e & des mers du Midi, & que nous pr^sumons Stre le plioca 

 des AncienSj parolt etre d'une autre espece, car il difffere des autres par la 

 quality & la couleur du poil qui est ondoyant & presque noir, tandis que le 

 poll des premiers est gris & rude, il en difffere encore par la forme des dents 

 fe par celle des oreilles ; car il a une espfece d'oreille exteme tres-petite ^ la 

 v6rit6 . . . ." Tben follows a good description of a young Fur Seal 5 but in 



