FIGURES. 339 



which the present species properly comes in for a large share 

 of the author's attention. The work is richly illustrated with 

 l^hotogTaphic plates, taken from Mr. Elliott's sketches, about 

 twenty-five of which are devoted to the Fur Seal. The text of 

 this rare and privately distributed work, has been since re- 

 l^rinted,* with some changes and additions, and has been 

 widely circulated. It contains very little relating to the Fur 

 Seal that is strictly technical, but the general history of its life 

 at the Prybilov Islands is very fully told, while the commercial 

 or economic phase of the subject is treated at length. A few 

 minor notices of Ihis species have since appeared (mostly popu- 

 lar articles in illustrated magazines, chiefly from the pen of Mr. 

 Elliott), but nothing relating to its general history requiring 

 special notice in the i)resent connection. 



Figures. The first figures of the !Rorthern Sea Bear were 

 given by Steller, in his paper already cited. They represent an 

 adult male, in a quite natural attitude, and a female reclining 

 on her back. In respect to details, these early figures were 

 naturally more or less rude and inaccurate. They were copied, 

 however, by Buffbn, Schreber, Pennant, and other early writers, 

 and are the onlj^ representations of this species known to me 

 that were made prior to about the year 1839, except Choris's 

 plate of a group of these animals entitled " Ours marins dans 

 I'ile de St. Paul",t published in 1822. This represents three 

 old males, surrounded by their harems, and indicates A^ery faith- 

 fully the mode of groujiing and the ^^ariety of attitudes as- 

 sumed hj these animals when assembled on the rookeries. 

 Hamilton, in 1839, gave a figure of the "Sea Bear of Steller 

 (Otaria ursimifX which he tells us is "fi:om the engra^ving of 

 the distinguished Naturalist of the Eurick*, the original of 

 which I have not seen. This represents a male and female, the 

 latter reclining on its side, with a pup resting on its right 

 flipper. 



The first figure of the skull is that published by Graj' in 

 1859,11 a \dew in profile of the skuU of an adult male. A 

 wood-cut of tlie same was given in 1866,^ and a fine lithographic 



* Condition of Affairs in Alaska, 1875, pp. 107-151. 



t Voy. pittor. autour du Monde, lies Al^ontiennes, pi. xv. 



X Marine AmpMbiiae, pi. xxi. 



Ibid., p. 266. 



II Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond., 1859, pi. Ixviii. 



H Cat. Seals and Whales, p. 45, fig. 16. 



