576 PHOCA VITULINA HAEBOR SEAL. 



ready indicated, numerous writers have contributed to its history. 



The first synonym of note was published by Xilsson in 

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

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

 son himself, who later adopted vitulina. 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 vitulina and by others to HaUchcerm 

 grypus.* Lesson has furnished his usual quota of synonyms 

 by giving to Linne's Phoca vitulina the name Phoca linncei, and 

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

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

 Phoque tigre of Krascheuninikow 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 vitulina. 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 septentrionaux de I'ocean pacifique nous est connu 

 d'apres trois jeunes indi^idus et d'ajires un nombre 6gal de 

 peaux incompletes d'individus adultes, tons raj)portes du Ja- 

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

 xi^me Phoque de Steller, Descr. du Camtsch. j). 107, et I'espece 

 dont Pallas fart mention en traitant du Phoque commun, 1. c. 

 [Zool. Eosso-Asiat.] p. 117, nota 2 , puis le Phoque, figure sans^ 

 le moindre detail descriptif, dans le voyage de Choris, PI. 8, 

 sous le nom de Phoque du detroit de Behring ; peut-etre con- 

 vient-il egalement de rapprocher de cette espece inedite le 

 Phoca largha de Pallas, ibid. p. 113, n**. 13. Quoi qu'il en soit, 

 nous avons cru devoir conferer a ce Phoque le nom qu'il porte, 

 suivant Pallas, 1. c. p. 117, chez les Busses, savoir celui de 

 Phoque uummulaire, 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- 



* Thienemanu's work, " NatiuMstorische Bemerknngeu gesammelt auf 

 eiuer Reise im Norden voii Euroi)a, vorzliglicli in Island in d. Jahm 1820 

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

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



