388 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



fauna, 223 are new to the particular district, and 17 are new to 

 science. 



Seals and Whales. — Mr. W. S. Bruce contributed some notes 

 on Seals and Whales seen during a voyage to the Antarctic 

 regions in the steam-whaler ' Balsena ' from Dundee in 1892-93. 

 " After a boisterous passage of over 100 days, the ship encountered 

 the first iceberg on December 16th, 1892, in 59 deg. 40 min. S., 

 51 deg. 17 min. W. We continued in a more or less southerly 

 course, passing to the east of Clarence Island. Danger Islets 

 were sighted and passed on December 23rd, and on Christmas 

 Eve we were in the position Boss occupied on New Year's Day, 

 1843. Until the middle of February we remained roughly 

 between 62 deg. S. and 64 deg. 40 min. S. and 52 deg. and 

 57 deg. W., the western limit being Terre Louis Philippe and 

 Joinville's Land. All the land seen was entirely snow-clad except 

 on the steepest slopes, which were of black, apparently igneous, 

 rocks. At least three kinds of Seals were observed. These were all 

 true Seals ; no Fur Seals were seen. They were the Sea-leopard 

 (Stenorhynchus leptonyx), Weddell's false Sea-leopard (Leptonyx 

 Weddellii), and a creamy-white Seal, probably the Crab-eating 

 Seal (Lobodon carcinophaga). There were two others, which were 

 possibly younger forms of Sea-leopard and Crab-eating Seals 

 respectively. The latter, instead of being white, was mottled 

 grey, but similar in form and size to, and often found among, the 

 white Seals. In December all the Seals were in very bad 

 condition, thinly blubbered and grievously scarred ; the females 

 as well as the males. There was no marked preponderance in 

 the number of the females. During January their condition im- 

 proved, and by February they were heavily blubbered, and free 

 from scars. Loving the sun, they lie on the pack-ice all day, 

 digesting their meal of the previous night, which consists of fish 

 or small Crustacea, or both ; Penguins also are occasionally 

 their victims, and stones were found in their stomachs. By 

 February the embryo is well developed, gestation probably 

 beginning in December. It is extremely regrettable that it was 

 during this period the indiscriminate slaughter took place, almost 

 all the females towards the end of January and February being 

 with young. All the Seals were found on the pack-ice ; the Sea- 

 leopard was on the outer-most streams, and was most frequently 

 to be found singly, though two or three might be on one piece of 



