SEALS. 21 



historic times. The Syrian Bear (Case 21). The Polar Bear 

 (U. maritimus), Case 24, the largest of the family, an excellent 

 swimmer, and wholly carnivorous, living on seals, which it captures 

 by stalking, and on the carcases of large animals. The Grizzly 

 Bear (U. ferox) > Case 25, the most formidable beast of prey of North 

 America, in Miocene times spread over the whole of Europe, but 

 now restricted to the Rocky Mountains. The Spectacled Bear 

 (U. ornatus), Case 26, an interesting species, found isolated from 

 the others in the Andes of Peru, no representative of this family 

 occurring in Central America. 



The FIN-FOOTED CARNIVORES, or CARNIVORAPINNIPEDIA, con- 

 sist of the Seals and their allies, and are distinguished by their limbs 

 being developed into nippers, and adapted for locomotion in the 

 water while they are almost useless on land, a modification fore- 

 shadowed in the hind limbs of the Sea-Otter. They have very short 

 tails, close fur, and large eyes, and have the power of closing their 

 nostrils and ear-openings. They live for the greater part of the 

 year in the sea, generally close to the shore, but at times wandering 

 far from land, to which, however, they invariably resort during the 

 breeding-season in order to bring forth their young. Their food 

 consists almost entirely of fish, varied with crabs and cuttlefish, 

 while the smaller species in their turn are preyed upon to a great 

 extent by certain of the toothed Whales, such as the " Killer " 

 ( Orca gladiator) ; and an enormous number, both of the Eared and 

 True Seals, are killed every year by the sealers for the sake of their 

 valuable fur and oil. 



The Eared or Fur-Seals (Otariidce) are distinguished from the 

 remainder of the Order by possessing small external ears, and by 

 being able to bend their hind feet forwards under their bodies and 

 to use them for walking on land, showing in both respects a 

 closer relationship to ordinary land animals than do the true Seals, 

 in which the outer ear has been entirely lost, and the hind feet 

 project straight backwards and are only used for swimming. 

 The Eared Seals are exhibited in the Cases in the centre of the 

 Gallery, and very fine male specimens of the Northern Sea- 

 Lion (Otaria stelleri) and of the Southern (Of aria jubata) in 

 a smaller separate case. Especially striking among these animals 

 is the great difference in size between the male and female; 



