FLESH-EATING MAMMALS. 87 



attain a length of about seven feet. The sea-leopard is a yery striking animal 

 and, with the exception of the elephant-seal, is the largest of true sealst In the 

 recent Antarctic expedition (1892-3) some were met with that measured over 

 13 feet in length. Their coat is a dark brown-grey and mottled, be- 

 coming paler grey below, and in some cases almost black on the back. A 

 rather striking and not altogether inappropriate name was given to these 

 seals by the sailors in the recent cruise ; they called them ' serpents,' and they 

 do really often look very serpent-like with their long necks and green eyes. '' 

 Less common is Weddell's seal {Leptonychotes weddelU), in which the cheek- 

 teeth are small, with simple, somewhat compressed, conical crowns, carryino- 

 a broad basal ledge, but no distinct fore-and-aft cusps. These seals are nearly 

 as large as the' leopard -seal, but of less graceful make, having a thicker coat 

 of blubber, and the fur more woolly, and dark brownish-grey in colour. The 

 last member of the sub-family is the rare Ross's seal (Ommatophoca rossi), 

 characterised by the small size of all the teeth, the small posterior, and still 

 smaller anterior cusps of those of the cheek series, and the very large size of 

 the sockets of the eyes, as well as by the small size of the claws on the front- 

 flippers, and their absence in the hinder pair. It is described as a beautiful 

 animal, with large, affectionate-looking eyes, and resembling the white seal 

 in form and size, but with a mottled grey pellage, darker above than below. 



The third and last sub-family is represented solely by the hooded or 

 bladder-seal {Cystophora cristata) of the Arctic Seas, and the gigantic elephant- 

 seal (Macrorhiiius leoninus) of the Southern Ocean and the coast of California. 

 In this group the incisor teeth form two pairs in the upper, and one pair in 

 the lower jaw, the total number of teeth thus being 30, in place of the 32 

 characterising the preceding sub-family ; and as a rule the cheek-teeth are 

 implanted by single roots. In the males the nose is surmounted by an 

 appendage capable of being inflated at will ; and the first,and fifth toes of the 

 hind-flippers are much longer than the others ; all these toes having the claws 

 rudimental or absent, and webs projecting beyond their tips. The hooded-seal 

 takes its name from the large loose sac of skin over the nostrils of the full- 

 grown males, which, when inflated with air, looks somewhat like a hood. 

 Rudimental nails are present on the hind-feet ; and the last molar in each 

 jaw is generally implanted by two roots. In the elephant-seal, on the other 

 hand, the old males have a kind of trunk-like prolongation of the nose, which, 

 although ordinarily limp, can be distended under the stimulus of excitement. 

 All the teeth are relatively small, those of the cheek series being all simple 

 and single-rooted, and nails are totally wanting on the hind-flippers. The 

 elephant-seal is the largest of all seals, the males attaining the enormous 

 length of 20 feet, and the females about one-third less. Mr. Bruce 

 writes that "the males are said to come ashore on the South Shetlands about 

 the end of August and beginning of September, and in the first part of 

 October are followed by the females. The males are very fat when they first 

 arrive, but get lean towards the end of December, when they leave the 

 islands. Another herd was said to visit the islands about the middle of 

 January — when they renew their hair — and still another in March ; by the 

 end of April all returning to the sea. They are very difiioult to kill, but, like 

 the other species, allow themselves to be approached even with a club. This 

 seal used to be highly valued for its blubber ; in 1821 and 1822 alone as much 

 as 940 tons of sea-elephant oil was taken from the South Shetlands ; and it 

 may here be mentioned that during these same two years at least 320,000 

 fur-seals were also taken from these islands." 



