THE ZOOLOGIST 



No. 712.— October, 1900. 



SEA-ELEPHANTS ON KERGUELEN'S LAND. 

 By Robert Hall. 



In the summer of 1897-98 I paid a visit, in the brig 'Edward,' 

 to this island of the South Indian Ocean. I did so by the 

 invitation of Mr. Hans Gundersen, and acted in the capacity of 

 naturalist. 



While doing research work I could not but notice certain 

 habits in the lives of the enormous amphibious mammals, and a 

 few general remarks thereon may prove interesting. 



The southern Seals are not so strong in species as those of 

 the northern seas. The distribution of the total twenty-five 

 species, including a Walrus, is four in the southern hemisphere, 

 and twenty in the northern. One is peculiar to both, and this is 

 the one under present consideration, and specially called Macro- 

 rhinus leoninus. It is to be found in California, and is probably 

 circumpolar in the Australis.* 



Certain of the Seals are very local, and have reached peculiar 

 places on the earth. One is confined to the Caspian Sea, and 



* This animal was described and figured from the Falkland Islands in 

 our last volume (Zool. 1899, p. 385). It was there referred to under the 

 specific name of Macrorhinus elephantinus. In using the specific appella- 

 tion M. leoninus Mr. Hall is in agreement with the late Prof. Flower, as 

 pointed out in our pages (ibid. p. 387). Mr. Hall, in his opinion that the 

 northern and southern species are identical, is in opposition to some other 

 authorities. Mr. Allen, in his ' North American Pinnipeds,' treats the Cali- 

 fornian animal as a distinct species (M. anguatirostris). — Ed. 



Zool. Mh ser. vol. IV., October, 1900. 2 n 



