8 OTAKIADJK. 



of the Zoological Society,' formed no less than five species from the 

 skulls of the southern Sea-lion {Otaria jvhata) —0. juhata, 0. By- 

 ronia, 0. leonina, 0, Oodeffrotji, and 0. UUom, — referring the first 

 four to the subgenus Otaria, and the last to Phocarctos (see Monats- 

 bericht. 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 womld have been better if he had at once simply 

 reduced them to synonyms (as they must be reduced) and included 

 with them 0. Ulloce, which is only the skuU of a young specimen, 

 ■such as was called 0. molossina by Lesson and Gamot. I may 

 observe that I had shown in my first ' Catalogue 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 OtariadcB to have a very 

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

 hairs. They are therefore called Fur-Seals by the sealers, and are 

 hunted for their skin as well as for their oil. The quantity and 

 fineness of the under-far difier in the various species ; and the skin 

 and under-fur bear a price in the market according to the (jountry 

 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 expen- 

 sive than at others. The skins of the Hair-Seals are only used, like 

 the skins of the Earless Seals or Phoddce, for very inferior purposes, 

 as covering boxes, knapsacks, &c. ; but the animals are much sought 

 after for the oil they afibrd. 



The furs of the different species of Eur-Seals are exceedingly dif- 

 ferent in external appearance, especially in the younger specimens, 

 or when the fur is in its most perfect condition. In most species 

 the hairs are much longer than the under-fur ; they are flat and 

 more or less rigid and crisp. In others the hairs are short, much 

 softer, scarcely longer than the soft woolly under-fur ; in these spe- 

 cies the fur is very dense, standing nearly erect from the skin, form- 

 ing a very soft elastic coat, as in 0. falldandicus and 0. Stelleri. 



The hair of 0. nigrescens is considerably longer than that of 0. d- 

 nerea, but not so harsh, the fur of the half-grown 0. nigrescens being 

 longer, sparse, flat, rather curled at the end, giving a crispness to 

 the feel ; while the hairs of the very young specimens are abundant, 

 nearly of equal length, forming an even coat that is soft and smooth 

 to the touch. 



The length, abundance, and, indeed, the presence or absence of 

 the under-fur greatly depend on the season at which the specimen 



