E. LÖNNBERG, CONTBIBUTTONS TO THE FAUNA OF SOUTH GEORGIA. 



Mammals. 



The fauna of South Georgia included originally only seals and whales, but af ter 

 the discovery through the agency of man, a rat has been introduced. 



Three species of seals have been known to inhabit the coasts of South Georgia. 

 One of them, the only representative of Eared Seals, Otariidae, is now, as it seems, 

 wiped out of existence as far as South Georgia is concerned. On the other hand 

 Sörling has found that one antarctie species, Weddells' seal, during the winter in 

 a small number visits these shores and that there, is a probability that even another, 

 the Crabeater (Lobodon), occasionally finds its way there although this was not fully 

 ascertained. The geographical distribution of these seals is so well known that it 

 need not to be diseussed here. The only species with distinct northern affinities is 

 of course the member of Cystophorince., Mirounga which is now circumpolar in 

 the subantarctic region but the ancestors of which wandered south along the west- 

 coast of the American continents. 



The knowledge about the whales of the southern hemisphere has unfortunately 

 been very scanty to the present day, and as far as the antarctie and subantarctic 

 regions are concerned it is chiefly confined to the observations and narratives of dif- 

 ferent expeditions which have navigated in these waters. This material has been 

 collected, diseussed and criticised by Racovitza (18) in a very valuable manner and 

 published together with his own observations. From all this the evidence has been 

 recéived that several different species of whales inhabit the Antarctie sea and it has 

 even been made probable that these whales belong to certain genera and species, 

 but proofs of full taxonomic value were hitherto wanting. In the following treatise 

 the present author is able to give the first definite report about the whales inhabiting 

 the waters of South Georgia. Four species of whalebone-whales are to be found 

 there, and these constitute southern parallels to the Nordcaper, the Humpback, the 

 Blue whale and the Finback of the Northern Atlantic. Although the acconnt about 

 these species could have been desired to be more complete, certainly the know- 

 ledge about the southern whales is considerably increased, and, I hope, it will be 

 still more furthered when the osteology of the species is worked out as I trust soon 

 sliall be the case. 



