100 Dr. J. E. Gray on the Fur- and Hair- Seals 



opsis,' where, after quoting the description of Forster's Sea- 

 Bear in Cook's Voyage, and his figures in the Supplement to 

 to Buffon, vi. p. 6'dQ, t, 47, Fischer adds, as a note, " An non 

 potius generi Enhydris adnumeranda ?" (see p. 232). 



The skull of these animals changes so much in form as the 

 animal arrives at adult and old age, that it is not always easy 

 to determine the species by it, unless you have a series 

 of them, of different ages and states, to compare. Thus Dr. 

 Peters, in his revision of the genus after the publication of my 

 Catalogue and figures of the skulls in the ' Voyage of the Erebus 

 and Terror' and in the ' Proceedings of the Zoological Society,' 

 formed no less than five species from the skulls of the southern 

 Sea-Lion [Otaria jubata) — O.juhata^ 0. Byronia^ 0. leonina 

 0. Godefroyt, and 0. Ulloo', — referring the first four to the 

 subgenus Otaria, and the last to PJiocarctos (see Monatsbericht, 

 May 1866, pp. 265, 270). In his second essay, published a few 

 months later {ibid. Nov. 1866), after his visit to London, he 

 placed them all together in one subgenus {Otaria), and seems, 

 by the way in which he has numbered four of them, to doubt 

 their distinctness. It Avould have been better if he had at once 

 simply reduced them to synonyms (as they must be reduced) 

 and included with them 0. Ullofe, which is only the skull of 

 a yoimg specimen, such as was called 0. molossma, Lesson & 

 Garnot. I may observe that I had shown in my first ' Cata- 

 logue of Seals ' (1850), from the examination of the typical 

 skull, that two or three of these nominal species were only 

 very old or young skulls of the southern Sea-Lion. 



It is the character of the Eared Seals or Otariadce to have a 

 very close, soft under-fur between the roots of the longer and 

 more rigid hairs. They are therefore called Fur-SeaJs by the 

 sealers, and are hunted for their skin as well as for their oil. 

 The quantity and fineness of the under-fur differ in the various 

 species ; and the skin and under-fm* bear a price in the market 

 according to the country and the species from which they are 

 obtained. 



Some species of the family have so little under-fur when 

 they arrive at adult age, that they are of no value in the 

 market to be made into " seal-skins ;" these are therefore 

 called Hair-Seals by the sealers. They are only collected for 

 the oil, as the skins are of comparatively little value. 



The skins of the Fur-Seal are much used in China, and are 

 more or less the fashion in this country, sometimes being far 

 more expensive than at others. The skins of the Hair-Seals 

 are only used, like the skins of the Earless Seals or Phocidoe, 

 for very inferior pm-poses, as covering boxes, knapsacks, &c. ; 

 but the animals are much sought after for the oil they aftbrd. 



