18 



PLATE X. THE SEA ELEPHANT AND THE SEA LEOPARD. 



FIG. 1. A young Sea Elephant (Macrorhinus leoninus) ; from a photograph by 

 K. W. SKELTON (Sk. 21, -plate), taken at the Macquarie Islands, Nov. 22, 

 1901. 



FIG. 2. The head of an adult female Sea Leopard (Stenorhimhus leptonyx] ; from 

 a photograph by R. W. SKELTON (Sk. 31, ^-plate), taken in the pack- 

 ice of Ross Sea, Jan. 7, 1902. . 



The Sea Leopard, as may be guessed from its powerful teeth, is a seal which 

 preys upon comparatively large animals. Emperor Penguins as well as Adelie 

 Penguins have been found in its stomach, besides fish, and occasionally pieces 

 of the young of other seals. 



It attains the length of 12 feet, and has then a girth of about 6 feet. Its 

 coat, which is of short straight hair, is iron-grey above, but beneath is lighter 

 and marked with bold splashes of black, especially in the neighbourhood of the 

 flippers, flanks, and shoulders. It frequents the coast as well as the open ice- 

 pack, and is known also in Australia, New Zealand, and all the sub-Antarctic 

 Ocean islands. 



Only once was the Sea Elephant seen within the Antarctic Circle, and it 

 must be considered a rare and occasional visitor. The specimen was a young 

 male, about half grown, 10 feet in length, and with a girth of 8 feet under the 

 fore flippers. In colour a uniform greyish yellow, rather darker above than 

 beneath. This seal, the males of which grow to a length of 20 feet, was at one 

 time abundant in the sub -Antarctic Ocean islands- Macquarie and Kerguelen, 

 for example but was almost exterminated. During our visit to the Macquaries 

 we saw young males and females only, and none more than 7 or 8 feet long. 

 Fig. 1 represents the sub- Antarctic vegetation of the Macquarie Islands. In the 

 Antarctic there is no vegetation save a few insignificant little mosses and lichens. 



