664 ERIGNATHUS BARBATUS BEARDED SEAL. 



wall and the Isle of White" {lege Wight?). In view of the 

 admitted uncertainty as to whether Donovan's specimen was 

 the one described by Parsons, and the agreement of Parsons's 

 ficcount and figure (the best figure of any Seal published up to 

 that date), there seems to be no adequate reason for referring 

 Parsons's Long-bodied Seal to any other than the Bearded 

 Seal, with which for three-fourths of a ceutury it was currently 

 associated. 



Another early, and in some respects important account of 

 this species, appears to have been given by Cneiff (see antea, 

 p. 530), under the name Grd Skcel (or " graue Seekalb" as termed 

 in the German translation of his i)aper, which is here used). 

 Although Cneiff's (or Kueiff, in the German orthography) GrS, 

 Sksel is referred by Lilljeborg and others to Halichcerus grypus, 

 its breeding habits seem to forbid its reference to that species, 

 it being said to bring forth its j'ouug about the end of February 

 on the ice remote from the land, while Halichcerus grypus has 

 its young in the autumn, for which purpose it resorts to the land, 

 selecting as its breeding haunts rocky shores and small rocky 

 islets. The general habits of the species also better accord 

 with those of the Bearded Seal, especially its forming an atluk 

 or breathing-hole throngh the ice, like Phoca fcetida, these two 

 species being the only ones found in the northern seas which 

 have that habit. That it is not Phoca fcetida is indicated by its 

 size, which is said to be a fall "Klafter" (about 6^ feet) long, 

 and by his comparison of it with the Harbor Seal (" Wikare" or 

 "Meerbusenkalb" = Phoca vituUna), from which it api)ears that 

 the latter is only about half the size of the former.* As respects 

 the color, he says the Gray Sea-Calves are mostly dark gray ; 

 many are yellowish ; but they are very rarely marked with 

 black and white spots. There is here a closer agreement with 

 the Bearded than with the Gray Seal. There consequently 

 seems to be no reason why Cneiff's Gr& Skael should not be 

 referred to the Bearded Seal, and very strong reasons against 

 its reference to Halichcerus grypus. j 



To resume the early history of the subject, the next notice 

 of the Bearded Seal appears to be Steller's reference, in 1751, 



* He gives the weight of the graue Seekalb as " 18 Lisspfuud ", and that 

 of the Wikare as "10 Lisspfund". 



t At p. 531, in the account- of Cneiff's history of sealing in the Gulf of 

 Bothnia, I gave the species as probably Halichoerns grypus, in deference to 

 eminent authority. 



