THE ZOOLOGIST 



No. 699.— September, 1899. 



THE "SEA-ELEPHANT" (MACRORHINUS 

 ELEPHANTINUS). 



(Plate III.) 



Some few months ago Mr. Eobert Service, of Dumfries, kindly- 

 forwarded to us a photograph of a specimen of this animal 

 which had been killed on the Falkland Islands. This photo- 

 graph, however, was too faint for reproduction, and, at our 

 request, he asked his correspondent, Mr. Wm. Grierson, of 

 Stanley, F. I., to send us, if possible, a better impression. This 

 has now been received, and is reproduced in the accompanying 

 Plate. With the photograph, Mr. Service received the following 

 letter from the capturer of this interesting beast : — 



" Stanley, F.I., June 21st, 1899. 



" Dear Sir, — Mr. Grierson gave me your letter of Aprtl 20th, 

 enquiring about the ' Sea-Elephant.' I beg for your information to 

 say that the animal is now very scarce, this being, I believe, the only 

 grown one killed on these islands for the past twenty-five years. One 

 was seen on the north coast about a year ago, but I have not heard of 

 it since I killed the one, of which you saw the photograph, about this 

 time last year, while I was killing a few Sea-Lions on a small island 

 about fourteen miles to the southward of Stanley. I killed two Seals 

 about 7 ft. long, and not until I saw the grown Elepbant could I find 

 out what they were. I then saw that they had been young Elephants. 



" It was on February 6th last that the large one in question was 

 found hauled up to high-water mark on the south shore of Stanley 

 Harbour, and about one hundred yards to the east of the Settlements. 



Zool. 4th ser. vol. III., September, 1899. 2 c 



