TECHNICAL HISTORY SPECIES. 437 



Plioca f a sciata (17 S3)', 9. JfTalichoerus gryinis {lldl). Two other 

 species had been distinguished as varieties, namely, 10. Plioca 

 caspica; 11. Plioca sibirica (both 1788). As will be seen later, 

 only two northern species {MacrorMnus angustirostris and the 

 West Indian Seal), and three others from the Southern Seas, 

 remained to be adde'^ although the literature of the subject 

 has since been burdened bj" the addition of not less than sixty 

 synonyms ! 



In the year 1800 Shaw, in his " General Zoology " (Quad- 

 rupeds, vol. i, pp. 250-272) redescribed Pennant's nineteen 

 species, under Latin as well as English names, bestowing new 

 Latin names upon five of them, none of which, however, have 

 proved to be valid species. So far as the Seals are concerned, 

 his work is little more than an abridged paraphrase of Pen- 

 nant, being strictly a compilation (based almost wholly on Pen- 

 nant), with the most of the bibliographical references omitted 

 (he cites usually only Gmelin and Pennant), with the form of 

 the matter changed by throwing the descriptions of the external 

 characters into brief Latin diagnoses, duplicated in English.* 

 His species are the following, the new names added being here 

 printed in heavy type : 1. Phocavitulina; 2. P/<oc bicolor(=Le 

 Phoque a ventre blanc, Buflfon, hence Monachus alhiventer) ; 3. 

 Phoca monachus ; 4. Plioca longicoUis ( = Long-necked Seal, Pen- 

 nant); 5. Plioca falklandica (= Falkland Isle Seal, Pennant = 

 Phoca australiSjZimm.) ; 6. PAocatestudinea (Tortoise-head Seal, 

 Pennant, ex Parsons = Plioca testudo, Kerr) ; 7. Phoca fasciata 

 {= Eubbon Seal, Pennant) ; 8. Phoca, leporina ( = Leporine Seal, 

 Pennant ; Lepechin not cited) ; 9. Phoca harhata ; 10. Plioca 

 Mspida ( = Eough Seal, Pennant) ; IL Phoca 2)orcina {= Porcine 

 Seal, Pennant ; MoUna not cited) ; 12. Phoca flavescens ( = Eared 

 Seal, Pennant); 13. Phoca cristata ; 14. Phoca grcenlandica ; 15. 

 Phoca pusilla ; 16. Phoca iirsina; 17. Phoca leonina { = Anson^s, 

 Sea-Lion); 18. Phoca jnhata (= all the Sea-Lions then known); 

 19. Phoca liqnna (Urigene Seal, Pennant ; Molina not cited). 



* The aiitlior of the work under consideration thus expresses its raison 

 d'etre : ' ' The general history of quadrupeds has been so often detailed in the 

 various works on Natural History, that a fresh publication on the subject 

 must of necessity labour under peculiar disadvantages. The valuable works 

 of tlie Count de Buffon and Mr. Pennant have diffused such a degree of in- 

 formation on these subjects, that it does not seem an easy task to improve 

 upon tlieir jilan otherwise than by the introduction of the LinuEean method 

 of arrangement, the rectification of errors relative to sjrrionyms, the addition 



of proper specific characters, and the introduction of new species " 



Gen. ZoiJJ., Introd. to vol. i, pp. vii, viii. 



