214 Transactions of the South African rican Socrety. 
the Robbe, or Seal, is apparent from his Micosaoar which is as 
follows :-— 
‘“T never saw a Sea Lion but once, and that was at the Caer in 
the year 1707. A Sea Lion that year came into Table Bay, and 
having sported for some time in the Bay got upon a cliff and lay 
there basking in the sun just on the edge of the water. The Cape 
Europeans had their eyes upon him immediately, and the Governor 
was quickly informed of this visitor. It was then ebb water. But 
it was not thought proper to attack him till the water should be 
fallen a good way from him. When the water had left him some 
considerable way the Governor ordered out the schallop with three 
men and as many firearms loaded with bullets to kill this creature. 
And the schallop coming pretty near him before he stirred, the men 
fired and despatched him. He was about 15 feet long and as many 
in circumference. His head was pretty much like that of a lion, 
save that he had no hair upon it. The tongue was all fat in a 
manner, and weighed 50 lbs. weight. There was neither hair nor 
scale upon any part of him. The colour of the skin was yellowish. 
He had forward two short legs ending with feet like those of a 
goose. These, I suppose, were of great advantage to him in 
swimming. In the place of hind legs he had two broad thick 
fins, each 18 inches long. His pou nee to the tail, which 
ended in the shape of a half-moon.’ 
It is difficult to account for these lost names, and we cannot but 
reflect on the proverbial veracity of early travellers. in general and 
of fishers of all times in particular. 
It cannot, however, be inferred that they were more lacking in 
knowledge or observation than their present-day successors, and 
we may quote an instance to show this. In an expedition, 
October 20, 1657, ‘‘on the upper side of the Diamond and 
Paarl Mountain, following the course of the river” (evidently the 
Berg River), the explorers ‘‘caught some fish called Barmer and 
of pleasant flavour, rather full of bones though, like the Dutch 
Pike.” The word Barm, or Barbeel, was evidently brought from 
Holland, where Barbeel or Berm is used for Barbus vulgaris, also 
called in Britain the Barbel. The fish found in the Berg River was 
doubtless also a Barbel, viz., Barbus capensis, which is known to 
occur there at the present day. It is now, however, called by 
the Dutch ‘“‘ Moggel’’—a word which, as has been suggested (Mr. 
Tooke), may be a corruption of the Latin Mugil, a generic 
name which has been applied to this fish, or it may refer to the 
general appearance and shape of this fish, ‘‘ moggel”’ in Dutch sig- 
nifying a clumsy child. Quite recently inquiries were made as to 
