270 THE ANTARCTIC. 



(omatophoca Rossii). On the other hand, the exceedingly 

 important fur-seal, belonging to the Eared Seals, the sea- 

 bear [otaria jubata), has of late ceased to be seen. 



The sea-elephant is still found in South Georgia, 

 but no longer in such huge shoals as were wont at the 

 beginning of the century to attract seal-hunters. Accord- 

 ing- to Weddell's statistics more than 20,000 tons of 

 sea-elephant oil had been gained at that island from the 

 day of its discovery by Cook up to the twenties of this 

 century, by which time these animals had been well nigh 

 extirpated. The fate that they suffered in South Georgia 

 also overtook them in the South Shetlands, where 

 Weddell reports that he had had 2,000 of them killed 

 in a single visit. In the higher latitudes, on the other 

 hand, in the districts of Wilkes' Land and Victoria Land, 

 the sea-elephant seems to be absent altogether ; at least 

 none of the discoverers make mention of it. 



Of the other true seals, four in number, v. d. Steinen, a 

 member of the German expedition, proved the existence 

 also of the sea-leopard in South Georgia, but in small 

 numbers only. Larsen and the Dundee whalers have 

 seen it in greater numbers near Louis- Philippe Land and 

 Kino- Oscar Land. In the same district Larsen met a 

 very large school of what appeared to be the sea-leopard 

 or crab-eater, but his accounts are so vague that it is hard 

 to determine what species he refers to. At any rate the 

 four species of seals here named seem to have a circum- 

 polar distribution. 



Next to the mammals, the Birds of the Antarctic 

 regions are best known. The true water birds, adapted 

 by their webbed feet to live on both land and water, 

 are most largely represented ; and there are, besides, 

 two waders (c/iionis), which belong exclusively to the 

 Antarctic regions. The next species with the largest 

 number of representatives are the stormy petrels (pro- 

 cellariidce) and the penguins {impennes or aptenody- 



