Bulletin of Museum of Comparative Zoology 02

BULLETIN

MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY

HARVARD COLLEGE,

VOL.

IN CAMBRIDGE.

II.

Nos. 1-5.

CAMBRIDGE, MAS?.,

U.

S.

A.

1870-1871.
Reprinted with the permission of the original publisher

KRAUS REPRINT CORPORATION
New York
1967


Printed in U.S.A.

CONTENTS.
Pace

— On

Eared Seals (Otariadae), with detailed Descriptions of the
Pacific Species.
By J. A. Allen. Together with an Account of
Habits of the Northern Fur Seal (Callorhinus ursinus). By Charles

No. 1.
North
the

Bryant.
I.

the

(3 Plates)

Introduction

...........

1.

Re'sume of recent Contributions

2.

On

to the

I

1

Natural History of the

.4

Otariadae
the Affinities, distinctive Characters, and

Family

Otariadffi, with

Remarks on

Synonymy

of the

sexual, age, and individual

Variation, and a Conspectus of the Genera and Species,

Habits

On

the

Genera and Species

Geographical Distribution

On

3.

II.

On

.......
......
....

the North Pacific Species of Otariadse

the Habits of the Northern

Fur

Charles Bryant.
2.

in the

Assist.

3.

Part

— On

the

Brachyura, prepared by Dr.

I.

Mammals and Winter

amination of certain assumed

Introduction
I.

III.

The

.

.

.

...

Mammals

U.

Coast

S.

William Stimpson

.

Characters

its

109

Birds of Fast Florida, with an Ex-

By

J.

A. Allen.

(5 Plates)

161

161

,

of East Florida, with Annotations

Individual and Geographical Variation

in Respect to

89

Gulf Stream

topographical, climatic, and faunal Characteristics of East Florida

List of the

On

.

45

Characters in Birds, and a Sketch of

specific

North America.

the Bird Faunce of Eastern

II.

de Pourtai.es,

L. F.

37

42

By Captain

Allen

By

Survey.

No.

"With Notes by J. A.

— Preliminary Report on the Crustacea, dredged

in the Straits of Florida.

19

36

Seal (Callorhinus ursinus Gray),

with a Description of the Pribyloff Group of Islands.

No.

etc.

among

.

.

.

163
16S

Birds, considered

bearing upon the Value of certain assumed specific

186


CONTENTS.

IV

1.

........

[ndividnal Variation

Individual Variation in general Size and

in

187

the relative Size

of different Parts

197

Variations in the Size and
sulting from

Form

of the Bill,

Wing,

etc. re-

Age

226

General Remarks on Individual Variation

.

.

.

.

.

.

228

Climatic Variation

Species, Varieties,

IV.

V.

229

and Geographical Races

On

the Geographical

America, with special Reference
of the Ornithological Faunae
1.

Introductory

2.

The Natural Provinces

Numbcrand

to the

.

.

Distribution of the Birds of Eastern

Remarks

The

to the

of

.....

Faunre of the Eastern

North American Temperate Region

The Faunas

375
375

North American Temperate
.

Ornithological

343

Circumscription

.

of the

250

North

Ecu ion
3.

243

......
.......
........

Winter Birds of East Florida, with Annotations
The Origin of the Domestic Turkey

List of the

384

Province of the

3S7

the Eastern province considered in Reference

Distribution of

4.

The Ornithological

5.

On

Mammals and

Districts of the

Reptiles

.

.

.

404

North American Temperate

Region

406

the Ornithological

Range

of the Species

.

407

.

.

......

General Remarks on the Distribution and Migration of the
Birds of the Eastern Province

Appendix
No.

4.

— Directions

Assist.

No

5.

ET

.

S.

for

to

Part V.

Dredging.

Coast Survey

— Appendix

to

List of Authorities

.

de Pourtales.

L. F.

418
426

.

........

Drawn up by

the Preliminary Report

the Echini collected by L. F.

.

de Pourtales,

(Bulletin No.

9,

Vol.

I)

451

on

By Alexander Agassiz

455


No.

1.

— On

Eared Seals (Otariad.e), with

the

detailed Descrip-

North Pacific Species, by J. A. Allen.

tions of the

with an Account of the Habits of the Northern

Fur

Together

Seal (Cal-

lorhinus ursinus), by Charles Bryant.
I.

Introduction.

The

specimens on which the present essay

by Captain Charles Bryant,

collected

mainly based were

is

at St. Paul's Island, one of the

Pribyloff Group, situated near the coast of Alaska, and by him kindly

presented to the

Stelleri Peters,

tons

Museum

They

of Comparative Zoology.

consist of

two

and two complete ligamentary skeletons of the Eumetopias

perfect skins

and two

and six perfect

complete ligamentary

skins, four

partial skeletons of Callorhinus ursinus

were sent preserved

in salt,

and arrived

Gray.

in

skins and skeletons

;

skins

The

excellent condition.

in

specimens of Callorhinus ursinus represent both sexes of

and the young, both

ski de-

The

this species

while the notes kindly fur-

nished by Captain Bryant give a minute account of

its

A

habits.

summer's residence at the Pribyloff Islands, as government supervisor
of the seal fisheries, has given Captain Bryant an opportunity of be-

coming thoroughly familiar with the habits of these interesting animals,
and the description

lie

has given of them shows that he

His notes, given in

use of his opportunites.
the present paper.

Bryant,

I

Academy
phus

am

full,

made

a good

form part second of

In addition to the specimens collected by Captain

indebted to the Smithsonian Institution and the Chicago

of Sciences for the opportunity of examining skulls of Zalo-

Gillespii

and Otaria jubata.

make acknowledgments

to

have also

I

in

this connection

to

Dr. Theodore Gill of Washington for various

suggestions and other acts of kindness.

The

only previous account of

great importance
ter ago,

that given

by

tiie

Northern fur seal which

Steller, nearly a

lias

any

century and a quar-

and the observations of Krasheninikoff, published a few years

later in his

ever,

is

History of Kamtcliatka.

Krasheninikoff's account, how-

was doubtless wholly or mainly derived from

Steller's note-.

The

remarkable accuracy of Steller's account, considering the time when
VOL.

II.

1

it


;

BULLETIN OF THE

Z
was

written,

been the

is

Tbe

observations.

than that of any of
of our hest
ever,

so

seals.

—

who

lias

its

as

now

far

more

A

which

to

interest, for

fully

known

remarkable similarity of habits, howpervade the whole group of eared

many

in

respects extends also to the wal-

As

rus and tbe sea elephant (Mixcrorhinus elephantinus).
collateral

Steller's

congeners, and better in fact than the majority

known, seems

a similarity

is

have

to

bad an opportunity of verifying

history of this species

known mammals.

far

who seems

confirmed by Captain Bryant,

fully

naturalist

first

matter of

comparison with the account given by Captain

Bryant of the species so

fully described

by him, the principal

notices of

the habits of the other species of the family have been cited as foot-

notes to Captain Bryant's article, and occasional abstracts are given
of those most pertinent to the subject.

Through the important

labors of Messrs.

Gray,

Gill,

and Peters

our knowledge of the Otariadce has recently been greatly increased

yet not a single species of the family has been hitherto very satisfac-

known.

torily
in

1866

Regarding the able essays of these gentlemen published

years since, their somewhat discrepant opinions

five

number of known

species, their distinctive characters,

sufficiently indicate

affinities

A

knowledge of these animals

as representing the state of our

how

respecting the

and

their

mutual

imperfectly they were then known.

comparatively large number of specimens of the Olaria jubata has

since

been received at different

facts

obtained from persons
species in

the

present writing,

number

of

the

best

known

museums, which, with the

recently been able to observe

natural haunts, have

this

its

scientific

who have

served

to

render

of any of the

it,

up

family.

to

The

specimens formerly possessed by naturalists having been

very small, and the sex, age, and habitat of the individuals they represented being generally but vaguely known, the unusually great differ-

ences resulting from individual variation, as well as from sex and age,

which recent developments prove
for a long time unsuspected,

and are even now,

appreciated by the few naturalists
attention.

Hence

to exist in

who

there has arisen in

these animals, remained
it

would seem, not

fully

alone have given them special

many

cases an almost unparalleled

complication of synonomy and an unusually large

number

of nominal

than

fifteen distinct

species.*
* The synonomy of Olaria jubata, for example, embraces no
speeiii

•

hi:

less


MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY.
The

and skeletons above mentioned of two

of skins

collection

3

of the North Pacific species which has recently been received at the

Museum

Comparative Zoology throws much

of

these species but also

upon several of the

light not only

The

others.

upon

investigation

has led the writer to an examination of the whole

of this material

group, the results of which are herewith presented.

made known

Dr. J. E. Gray and others have recently

the fact that

great differences in the form of the skull in Otaria jitbata result from
differences

in

age.

existence of remarkably great

Also the

difference in size has been long established

sexual

whilst Professor Peters,

;

of Berlin, has recently pointed out extraordinary variations in the dentition

of Zalophus

that greater

known are

to

in the osteological char-

be expected

in all the species.

adult male skulls of the Eumctopias SteUeri, for instance, dif-

known and

tionable,

of Callorhinus ursinm

of Comparative Zoology show

and more radical differences even

fer from each other so

cisely

Museum

the

in

acters than those previously

The two

The specimens

Gillespil.

and Eumctopias SteUeri

much

form

in

was not pre-

that, if their habitat

the evidence of their co-specific relationship unques-

one might well be excused for regarding them as belonging

distinct species

;

and the same

lorhinus ursinus.

is

true of the

These specimens

also

two adult male

show

that

some of

to

skulls of Cal-

the characters

that have been relied on most frequently as affording generic distinction?,

—

as the

form of the palatal surface of the intermaxillaries and of

the hinder edge of the palatal bones,

— vary

so

much, not only with age,

but in specimens of the same age, that no given form of these parts

The

can be regarded as affording even reliable specific characters.

degree of asymmetry, especially
sufficient

to indicate clearly that

vidual variation in these animals

in

an unusually great tendency
is

great

the skull, seen in these animals

to

is

to indi-

Professor

be naturally expected.

Peters has already referred to the presence of a supernumerary molar in

one side of the upper jaw

Museum, and another

in

two skulls of cared

instance of the

seals in the

same abnormality

Leyden

exhibited by

is

one of the skulls of CaUorhinus ursinus previously referred

Taken

to.

in connection with this tendency to variation, the interesting fact that

the

number of synonymes pertaining

exact ratio to the

examination

is

readily explained.

and species embraced
developments.

to the several

number of specimens
in

The

species

that naturalists

is

in

almost

have had

for

incidental revision of the genera

the present paper

is

based on these recent


BULLETIN OF THE

4

The

greatest

years

last live

number of
is

fifteen

species recognized

but they have

;

by any writer during the

now been reduced, by general

These have been placed by Dr. Gray,

consent, to ten or eleven.

in his

In the present enumeration six species *

later papers, in ten genera.

are regarded as fully established, and two or three other species f are

All are referred to five genera.

given as doubtful.

One
animals
least

\

of the most singular facts connected with the history of these
that they should

is

known

when

to naturalists,

that their capture has given

commercial importance

their

employment

to

is

such

men and

thousauds of

mil-

more than a century.

lions of capital for

For many

have so long remained among the species

years, as

well known, hundreds of thousands of the

is

skins of the Falkland Island fur seal, and hundreds of tons of the oil

of other species, annually reached England

;

yet specimens of either

the fur seals, or of any of the other species that naturalists were able
to obtain,
that, in

lated

cases, the localities

to

this

the fact

whence these fragmentary and

iso-

specimens were received were frequently wholly unknown or but

vaguely surmised, and
only

Add

were exceedingly few and imperfect.

many

till

can well understand how

we

it

happened that

within the last decade have naturalists been able to decide with

certainty as to which of the species on their catalogues were to be refer-

red the various fur seals of commerce.

Resume of Recent

I.

Contribute 'ons

to

the

Natural History of

the

Otariad^e.

A

brief statement of the present state of our

riadce seems to be

demanded

knowledge of the Ota-

in the present connection,

inasmuch as

since the publication of the last general synopsis of the subject our

knowledge of the group has greatly increased, without the new
having been given

in

a single

summary.

As

facts

a resume of the contri-

butions to the literature concerning this group of animals which have

appeared during the

last

two decades would necessarily give such a

statement, and also at the same time a connected history of the recent

changes

in

* Eumeiopias

their

nomenclature and

Stelleri,

CM » himis ursii}us,

Zahphus

classification,

GiUespii, Z. cinereus

(=

a synopsis of the

lobaluo, Auct.),

Anii-< ephalus falklandicus.

t

Phvcarctos Hookeri, Arctocephalm au&tralis, A, antarcticus.

I

Eumetopias, Zahphus, Otaria, Cnllorhinvs, Arctocejihalus.

Otctria jubata,


MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY.
principal recent papers relating to the subject

For

troduced.

the works cited

is

5

accordingly here in-

references to earlier papers the reader
in

Museum

Dr. J. E. Gray's British

W.

Seals and Professor

is

referred to

Catalogues of the

Peters's elaborate essay on these animals pub-

lished in the Monatsberichte of the Berlin

Academy

for 18GG.

present notice of the literature of the Otariadce begins with

The

Dr. Gray's " Catalogue of the
lished in '1850, in

Seals

the British

in

Museum," pub-

which valuable work two genera (Arctocephalus and

The next paper requiring
McBain.f describing, in 1858, a new species

Otaria) and eight species* are recognized.

mention

is

that of Dr.

A

{Otaria Gillespii) from a skull from the Gulf of California.

months

Gray published some important notes

Dr.

later

fe^

relative to

the Northern sea bear (Arctocephalus ursinus Auct.).:j: based on a skin

and

skull

British

name

of an adult male from Behring's Straits, received at the

Museum by way

of

Amsterdam and

This paper

of Otaria leonina.

which seems

profile figure of the skull,

is

Petersburg, under the

St.

accompanied by an excellent

to be the only figure of the skull

of this species that has been hitherto published.

Two

weeks

later Dr.

Gray communicated

to the Zoological

Society

another paper on the Eared Seals, § in which the fur seal of the Cape

Good Hope was

of

described

anew from a specimen received by him

from Paris, and of which he published a view

He

appends

to this

which he divides

drawn from the

it

into three

A. nigrescens, A.
ure

unnamed

skull.
in

sections, based on characters

:

—

ursinus; TT.

lobatus,

A. Hookcri

A. Gillespii."

He

;

HI. A. Delalandii,

also gives a profile

of a ca^t of the skull described by Dr.

||

profile of the

Short diagnoses are also given of the species,

skull.

which he groups as follows
"I. Arctocephalus

in

paper a synopsis of the genus Arctocephalus,

McBain

fig-

as Otaria Gil-

lespii.

Some months
* Thelis,

later the

same indefatigable author published a paper

are Arctocephalus ursinus, A. falklandicus,

A. Hookeri, Otaria S'elleri,

and 0.

f

Proe. Edinburgh Royal Phys. Soc., Vol.

|

"

On

'•

<

>n

107-110,
II

cinereus,. A. lobatus, A. austra-

I,

p. 422.

the Sea Bear of Forster, the Uisus marinu* of Steller, Arctocephalus ursinus of

authors," Proe.
§

A

leonina.

London

Zoid. Soc., 1859,

the Eared Seal of the
PI. lxix.

Ibid., PI. lxx.

pp

101, 100, PI. Ixviii.

Cape of Good Hope

(

Otaria Delalandii)," Ibid

,

pp.


BULLETIN OF THE

6

on the Sea Lion? of the Coast of California,* with a profile figure of an

new

adult male skull of what he supposed to he a

which proved

lus monteriensis), hut

Stefan of authors, as

first

to

The

latter,

same

to the

however,

is

classification of the

eared

seals, in

species, as

skull

was

also

undoubtedly identical with
In

the Northern fur seal (CaUorhinus ursiuus).

new

Another young

suggested hy Dr. Gill.

was described and doubtfully referred
the skin of a fur seal.

species {Arctocepha-

he identical with the Otaria

paper he gives a

this

which he properly raised the

first

of the sections of his genus Arctocephalus, which he had previously

in-

The second and third
sections he seems to have reunited, for which he retained the name of
His genus Arctocephalus, as now restricted, he again
Arctocephalus.
A valuable table of comparative
divided into four unnamed .sections.
stituted, to the

rank of a genus {Callorhinus)

measurements of the skulls of eight species

Seven years from the date

last

is

.

appended.

given (1859) carries us to the ap-

pearance of Dr. Gray's " Catalogue of the Seals and Whales," f pub18GG, during which interval

lished in

the species of his "Catalogue

synonymy

is

little

or nothing of importance

relating to the group in question.

was published

brought up

to

of Seals" of

date,

In this Catalogue

all

1850 are retained; the

and the species he and others had

These are

described since the appearance of that Catalogue are added.

Arctocephalus Californianus

Arcfo(=
Peters),
and
the
Eumetopias
Stelleri
(=

ursiuus,
in
part
or
Gray (= CaUorkinus

wholly), making the whole

number of

the Otaria GlUespii

McBain

cepkalus monteriensis

Gray

Zalophus Gillespii

Gill, the

species thirteen.

Only one of

the three species supposed to he new, however, proved to be

The

nomenclature

specific

is

so.

not changed from that adopted in his

previous paper, so far as the species mentioned in that paper are concerned, and the

introduction

of one generic

name

from the generic nomenclature employed by him

new

1850.

classification of the species of the genus Arctocephalus

which the species are grouped
sections,

bony

the only change

is

in

upon

palate.

the*

in

is

Another
given, in

two primary sections and seven sub-

arbitrary basis of the differences in the form of the

No new

material

is

described, and lint

little

new matter

added, the Catalogue being essentially a compilation from his previously
* "

On

the Sea Lions, or Lobos Marinos of the Spaniards,

<>n

the Coast of California,"

Ibid., p. 557.
f

"

Catalogue of the Seals and Whales in the British Museum," 1866, pp. 44 -CO.


MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY.

7

published papers, generally without any change in the language, and

embracing important typographical

often

and

In the Appendix,

errors.

however, some interesting notes are added

manner

respect to the

in

when

which the eared

seals walk,

pose, he having

had the opportunity of observing a living sea

the

their attitudes

in

in a state of re-

lion in

Cremorne Garden.

Nearly coincident with the appearance of Gray's Catalogue of Seals

and Whales was the publication of a

Prodrome of a Monograph of

"

the Pinnipeds," by Dr. Theodore Gill,* of Washington.

new

portant paper presents to a great extent a
nipeds, and introduces
rus, the eared seals,

Tins

im-

classification of the

Pin-

numerous changes of nomenclature.

and the earless

seals, for the

first

The

wal-

many

time for

years,! are again regarded as forming distinct families, as by Brookes,

which are applied respectively the names Rosmaridce, Otariadce,

to

The name

and Phocidce.%

Otaria, of Peron,

ern sea lion (Phoca jubata Schreber)
generic

name

Northern sea

for the

califurniana Lesson,

restricted to the South-

is

Eumetopais

;

(Leo marinus

lion

is

proposed as a

Steller,

— Arctocephalus monteriensis Gray);

proposed as a generic

name

Otaria

for the

Gillespii

= Otaria

Zalophus

Halarclus for a group for which the Arctocephalus Delalandii
as the type

name

;

Arctocephalus F. Cuvier

of Callorhinus, proposed by

for the

A

list

of the North

named

Phoca ursina Linne.

Brief diagnoses of these genera are given, and a species
the type of each.

is

substituted for the generic

is

Gray

is

McBain, and

American

While most of the changes introduced by Dr.

species

is

indicated as

is

also added.

Gill in his

Prodrome

are judicious ones, errors occur in respect to the names of the genera
of the Otariadce.
short critique

These were speedily pointed out by Dr.Gray§

upon Dr.

Gill's paper, in

which Dr. Gray

to the fact that the type of Arctocephalus F.

assumed,

his

He

name

Callorhinus for the generic

Cuvier was

not. as Gill

shown by Cuvier's

figure of

Hence Gray properly

reinstated

Steller's sea bear, as is clearly

the ?kull of his type of Arctocephalus.

in a

calls attention

name of

does not state, however, to what F.

Steller's

Ursus marinus.

Cuvier's figure refers,

this,

* Proc. Essex Institute. Vol. V, pp. 1-13. March, 1866.
t See my remarks on the synonomy of Otariadce below.
\

Catalogue of Brookes's Anat. and Zool. Museum,

§ "

Gill,"

p. 36, 1828.

Prodrome of a Monograph of the Pinnipedes,' by Theodore
Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist, 3d Series, Vol. XVII, pp. 444-447, June, 1866.

Observations on the

'

BULLETIN OF TUE

8

me by

as suggested to

The

Peters.*

Dr.

Gill,

being

pointed out by Professor

first

type of Cuvier's genus Arctoceplmlus being

in

prob-

all

the Arctocephalus Delalaudii Gray, Halarctus of Gill, based

ability

on the same type, became, as Gray points

out,

a synonyme of Arcto-

cephalus.

Gray's

contemporaneously with

jSYarly

above-mentioned critique

W.

appeared an able paper on the Otariadce by Professor
In

Berlin.f

this

Peters of

essay Professor Peters reviews the whole family, and

describes two species erroneously supposed by

him

to

be new,$ and gave

The species are all described as Olarice, but are
arranged under seven named subgenera or sections.|| which appear in the
main to be natural groups. The characters on which these divisions are
figures of their skulls.

based are drawn, not from the skull alone, but from

all

the available

and the presence or absence of under-

sources, the length of the ears,

made use of as distinctive
Gray and Gill in their
exceptions, made use of only the

fur (" Unterwolle ") being for the first time

characters in determining the lesser groups

having, with

classifications

slight

The specimens

characters furnished by the skull.
tained in the Berlin
ness,

Museum

and the synonymy of

of eared seals con-

are described with considerable minuteall

the

quite fully

and carefully

Gray (though

at the time of

species

Professor Peters agrees with

presented.

;

writing he could not have seen his [Gray's] paper) in referring Hul-

The names

arctos to ArclocepJ«dns and in reinstating CaUorhinus.

the other genera recognized

all

him

names of

for the

(A)-cfo/j/toca

the

first

his sections,

and

The

* Monatb.

in

which he added two others

d. k.

" [Jber die

and hair

fur

P. Akad.

seals,

made towards a

extent at least an advancement was

t

to

and Pliocarctos). The arrangement of Professor Peters

time separated the hair seals from the fur

fication.

of

by both Gill and Gray were adopted by

seals differ

and

for

to this

natural classi-

markedly from each other

in

Berlin, 1866, p. 271.

z.

Ohrenrobben (Seelowen und Seebaren),

Otarice, insbesondcre iibcr die

den Sammlungen zu Berlin befindlichen Arten," Monatsberichte der k. P. Akadamic
Berlin, 1866, pp.

y.n

J
||

2(51

-281, with three plates.

Olaria Godeffroyi and 0. Pkilippii.
(1.)

Otaria, containing

0. jubata.

Phocarcios, containing 0. Hbokeri

0. cinerea, and 0. fnUdaitdica

containing 0. SlelU

ri

;

>

6.)

;

and

(A.)

0. leoninct, 0. Godeffroyi, and O.
Ulloce

;

(3.)

Byronia;

Arctocephalus, containing

CaUorhinus, containing

ursina;

(5

Zalophus, containing 0. Gillespii, and 0. lobala

phoat, containing 0. Philippii.

O

(2.)

pusilla,

Eumetopins,

)

;

{'.)

Avcto-


MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY.
numerous other general

more

9

features, as well as in the pelage, as will

be

Fourteen species have been recognized,

fully noticed hereafter.

but three of them (0. leoriina, 0. Byronia, 0. falklandicd) he seems to

have regarded as doubtfully

distinct

He

from others.

refers

Gray's

Arctocephalus Delalandii to the Phoca pusilla of Schreber, and (with a

Gray's Arctocephalus nigrescens to the Otaria falk-

query, however)

landica of Shaw.

In consequence of the publication of these papers of Dr. Gill and

Gray was

Professor Peters, Dr.

mens of

led to a re-examination of the speci-

the Otariadce in the British

same year he published the
paper he

for

the

first

Museum, and

results

of

in

September of the
In

investigations.*

his

time regards the Otarice as a family

this

(though

several other writers had done so previously), and speaks of certain
features that indicate their superiority to the Phocidce.

He

entirely different generic class'ieatiou from

by him a few

months before, f both as
relations.

to

The seven named

the

number

that given

of genera and their mutual

sections of Otaria of Peters he admits to

the rank of genera, with the limits ascribed to
"

adds also one
lobatus,

new genus

to

being recognized by him as valid, he has

now

Gill's

somewhat important

gestions, no really

one, containing as

new matter

is

it

described in

Although the paper

many

does

valuable sug-

it.

Another paper on the Eared Seals by Peters

§

immediately followed

In the few months intervening since the publication

one of Gray.

this

genus Zalophus.

Only ten species

but a single species to

each of his generic and subgeneric subdivisions.
a

He

on his Arctocephalus

" (DFeophoca), based

which species Peters had referred

them by Peters.

Gray had now eight genera and three subgenera.!

is

adopts an

of his previous e-say on this subject, Professor Peters had visited

Eng-

land and Holland, and examined the specimens contained in the principal

museums

in the

of these countries, including

Leyden Museum described and

among them the specimens
Fauna Japonica,

figured in the

* " Notes on the Skulls of the Sea Bears and Sea Lions (Otnrindce)

Museum," Ann. and Mag. Nat.

Hist.,

in the British

3d Series, Vol. XVIII. pp. 228 -237, September

1866.
f

In his Catalogue of Seals and Whales.

\

Arctocephalus

divided into Arctocephalus, containing A. Delalandii; Euotaria, con.

is

taining A. nigrescens
§

A

supplement

Monatsb.

VOL.

d. k.

II.

I'.

;

to

and Gypsopkoca, containing A.
his previous "

Akad.

z.

Abhandlungen

Berlin, 1866, pp.

2

cinereus.
iiber die

Ohrenrobben, Olariiv.^

665-672, November, 1866.


—
BULLETIN OF THE

10
and those

Museum

in the British

A

described and figured by Dr. Gray.

Otaria Ullvce

skull of Tschudi's

figured,

is

and

many

interesting facts

are given respecting several of the species described by him in his pre-

A

vious paper.

of the species

list

is

added, and while

of those

all

given by him a few months before are included in the enumeration, they

numbered

are

way as to indicate that
The whole number is

such a

in

had somewhat changed.
has " Nos.

he

One

somewhat

left

is

1 a," " 1 b,"

these species as

and

c,"

1

with a query) referred
0. Philippii

which he now appears

"

9,

Stellcri of

Schlegel

instead of in

is

No. 9 a."*

whether he regarded

to

now

1

and

or as sub-

9,

positively (previously

Instead of dropping altogether

to

first

on his

solely

0. Philippii,

regard as a nominal species, he transfers

The Otaria

0. falklandica from Arctocephalus to Arctophoca.

his

1

0. falklandica Shaw, to which species also his

to

seemingly referred.

is

subgenus Arctophoca, based at

his

ten,

synonymous respectively with Nos.
is

them

but under No.

and under Xo.

doubt, however, as

in

Gray's Arctocephalus uigrcscens

species.

own

"

his estimate of

paper referred

in this

McBain,

to 0. Gillcspii of

part to the 0. cinerea of Peron, and

part to the

in

Arctocephalus hiatus of Gray, as both he and Gray had previously referred

In addition to the determination of the character of Schlegel's

it.

is

the exact

which Peters was able

to figure

0. Stelleri, the most important thing decided by this paper
0. Ulloce, of

character of Tschudi's

and describe

original specimens.

In addition to the above-mentioned

an important year
Dr. Sclater

same year,f

states, in the

that a

"young

the society's menagerie.

to

captor in

At

its

France and England, and

in the

Appendix

—

to his

is

named

This animal

Buenos Ayres, and

in

various

the one doubtless referred to

by

Catalogue of Seals and Whales.

about the same time Dr. Burmeister t also gives a description

* 0. jubata ox Forster and Blainville
• No.

1866,

June, 1862, by a French sailor

in

had been exhibited by

Cray

in

male sea bear (Otaria Hookeri),

living

Lecomte, had been added

parts of

papers published

Proceedings of the Zoological Society of the

mar Cape Horn,

captured

five

the history of the literature of the Otariadee,

in

la";

" No. 9 "

is

0. leonina

F.

0. falklandica

Cuv. as " No

Shaw, while

is
1

given as " Xo.

b," and

"

;

0.

Byronia Blainv., as

Peters, as " No.

1

his 0. Philipjni forms his " No. 9 a."

t

Proceedings London Zool. Society, 1866,

t

Ann. and Mag. Nat.

Hist.,

1

0. Godeffroyi

p. 80,

January, 1S66.

3d Series, Vol. XVIII,

p. 99, PI. ix,

February, 1866.

c"j


MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY.

11

and figure of a young skull of Arctocephalus falklandicus, and some
interesting facts

respect to the distribution of the eared seals on

in

the east coast of South America, where

he says but two species

Under the improper name of A. falklandicus, he

exist.

Burmeister's remarks

he believed

to infer that

this

also

One

specimen captured and exhibited by Lecomte.

to the

is

refers

by

led

specimen (and an-

other which did not live to reach Europe) was captured in the Rio de
la Plata.

Later the death of

sea bear "

this "

is

announced

in the

Pro-

ceedings of the Zoological Society, and Dr. James Murie * reports the
results of his investigations as to the cause of its decease.

The next paper
1868, and

of

moment on

the

Eared Seals appeared

especially on the

Fur Seals and Hair Seals of

and South America."! In

in

Falkland Islands

the

paper Dr. Gray refers briefly

this

papers of Professor Peters, and very properly remarks, as

me, that Peters in his

February,

Sea Bears (Otariadce), and

entitled '"Observations on

is

to the

two

seems

it

to

essay "formed no less than five species

first

from the skulls of the Southern sea lion (Otaria jubata),
0. Byronia, 0. leonina, 0. Godeffroyi, and 0.

Ulloa"

—

0. jubata,

lie reviews at

some length the complicated synonomy of the Falkland Island eared
seals,

and

raises

his

subgenera of Euotaria and Arctocephalus (pre-

viously mentioned) to the rank of genera, and redescribes the Falkland

Island and South American species.

falklandicus

Gray ex Shaw,

(3) P/tocarctos Hookeri Gray.

landica

is

These

are, (1) the Arctocephalus

(2) the Euotaria nigresceus Gray, and

Dr. Gray contends that Peters's O.falk-

not the O.falklandica of Shaw, but that

his Arctocephalus

(or Euotaria) nigrescens.

landicus of BurmeisterJ he, as

it

seems

to

The

it

is

same

the

as

Arctocephalus falk-

me, erroneously referred

to his

Phocarcfos Hookeri, doubtless from Dr. Burmei>ter having re-

ferred

Lecomte's

specimen

which was really the 0. jubata,
scription of the ^kin

'

sea

to

bear "

mentioned,

already

The

the " 0. faUclandica."

to

by Dr. Burmeister,

shows the animal

essay,§

a hair

;

of the

have been

a.

in

fur

de-

Profes-or Peters's second
seal, the

P. Hookeri being

seal.

The young male

sea lion (or sea bear, as

it

was also

called),

* Proceedings London Zool. Society, 1S67, p. 213.
t

Ann. and Mag. Nut

J

Ibid.,

§

Monatsb.

Hi-t., 4th Series, Vol.

3d Series. Vol. XVIII, p.
d. k.

P.

Akad.

d.

99,

I

February,

Wi;senseh,

z.

pp. 99-110, February,
|

Berlin, 1866, p. 670.

1

56

,

which


BULLETIN OF THE

12

lived for a time in the Zoological Garden, and which

Dr. Sclater as O. Hoolceri* he says

is

was figured by

identical with the O.jubuta,

—

an opinion subsequently shared by Dr. Sclater himself, t

A

few weeks later Dr. Gray published another p«per, on the Ota-

riadce, entitled

"Observations on the Fur Seals of the Antarctic Seas

and the Cape of Good Hope, with Description of a ne\f Species"; J
he having

the

in

paper he remarks

mean time

In this

received additional material.

synonomy

further concerning the complicated

still

of the Falkland Island fur seals, and respecting the

habitat of the

specimens of Weddell, described by Mr. R. Hamilton, § and the

dif-

ferences between these species and his A. cinereus of Australia and

the fur seals of the Cape of

new

regards as a

which species he

Good Hope.

He

calls

Cape of Good Hope,

These skins

Arctocephalus nivosus.

what he

also describes

species, from two skins from the

differ

from

those of his A. Delalandii, he says, in being so nearly destitute of
under-fur, except just on the crown of the head, that he was convinced

they could not be dressed as fur

seals.

||

"The [Cambridge, Eng.] Journal of Anatomy and Physiology
November, 1868,1" Dr. McBain describes an imperfect skull of

In
for

female Otaria jubata from the Chincha Islands, which he
loce?" suggesting for

prove

be new.

to

Turner**

it,

however, the name 0. Graii,

In the

same number of

describes, as that of a

new

a

calls "(9. Ul-

in case

journal

this

"

it

should

Professor

species (Arctocephalus schisthy-

joeroes ft )< a skull with a peculiar conformation of the palatine bones,

from Desolation Island, which Dr. Gray examined

and referred

later

to his Euotaria nigrescens.

In the Monatsbericht of the Berlin
* Proc. Loud. Zobl Soc, 1866,
t

Ibid., 1868, p. 190, loot-note,

J

Ann and Mag.

4

Ibid.,

||

In this paper

Vol

II, p.

this, viz. that the

"have

Academy

for

March

of the

same

p. 80.

March, 1868.

Nat, Hist, 4th Series, Vol.

I,

pp. 215-210, March, 1868.

81, PI. iv. 1838.

Gray repeatEumetopias

a

misstatement made by him

Stelleri, a true

a close, soft, elastic fur."

hair seal,

is

in

his last paper preceding

one of the few eared seals that

See further remarks on

this point

beyond under E.

Stelleri.

\

i

Vol.
•

Ill, p.

[bid., p.

ft In the

••

McBain's "0.

109-112.

113-117.
Zoological
Ulloce'i"

of Arctocephalus Graii.

Record"

for 1863 Dr.

he regards us a

new

Gunfher changes
species, for

this

name

to scMsluperus.

which he proposes

the

name


MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY.
year a

letter

from Dr. Burmeister

to

13

Professor Peters *

La

concerning the eared seals of the coast of the

published

is

In this

Plata States.

Dr. Burmeister restates his opinion | that only two species of

letter

these animals exist on the east coast of South America, one of which he

regards as the Olaria leonina, and the other as the Otaria falklandica of
Peters's

first

Of the

essay.

first

of these he had

examined a number of

specimens, which he describes somewhat in detail, and remarks espe-

upon the great variations presented by

cially

sequence of differences

different specimens in con-

and also upon the great amount of purely

in age,

He

individual variation they present..

is

consequently led to believe

by Professor Peters

that the species described

jubata, 0. Byronia, 0. leonina,

in his first essay as 0.

and 0. Godeffroyi, form but a
as based

These several nominal species he regards

cies.

single spe-

merely upon

individual differences, and liot constituting even " permanent races or
varieties."

In the statement of this opinion he was anticipated by Dr.

Gray, who, as previously stated, one month earlier referred not only
but also the

these,

0.

scens

Gray and

propriety.

respecting the South

article

To

the

also refers the 0. nigre-

me

with evident

contains highly important

information

the 0. Philippii Peters, as

This short

0. jubata.

of Peters, to the

Ulloce

Shaw Dr. Burmeister

Otaria falklandica of

American eared

it

seems

to

seals. $

In the following month Captain C. C. Abbott § communicated to the

London Zoological Society some

interesting notes on the haunts, habits,

and external features of Otaria jubata and Arctocephalus falklandicus,

Among

other things, he remarks that, in the hundreds of skins of the

former (0. jubata)

lie

had seen, he " never saw on any of them any-

thing approaching fur."

Captain Abbott's notes are the more valuable

from the fact that he has deposited skulls of both these species in the
* Monatsb.
count

is

d.

k. P.

Akad. Wissensch.

substantially given in

Paleont., p. xxxix,

and Zeitschr.

t

See Ann. and Mag. Nut.

I

It is

Berlin, 1S68, pp.

z

Mus.

the Anal.
ges.

Ili-t.,

Naturw.,

perhaps but proper to state

in this

§

"

and

On

in his

to

ac-

Act. Soc.

XXXI, pp. 294-301.
XVIH, p. 99, 1866.

by Dr. Maack

in his

Buenos Ayres

by

Dr. G. A.

(lat.

38° S.)

Maack
They

at

Cabo

are the

paper in " Der Zoologische Garten" (Jan.

notes to the present paper.

the Seals of the Falkland Islands,"

with notes by P. L. Sclater, M. D.,
1868.

The same
303;

connection that the specimens referred to by

Corricntes, near the southern extremity of

1870),

p.

3d Series, Vol.

Dr. Burmeister in the above-mentioned paper were collected

specimens referred

180-1S2.

Buen. Ayr. 1S68,

etc.,

by Captain

C. C. Abbott.

Communicated,

Proc. Lond. Zobl. Soc. 1868, pp. 189-182, March,


BULLETIN OF THE

14
Museum,

British

marks

so that

In a note

refer.

with Dr. Peters * in thinking

known

well

is

it

which species

to

paper Dr. Sclater observes

to this

it

best to retain the

:

his

name jubata

the Southern species, and to call the Northern one Stelleri.
sider O. leonina Cuv. to be probably the

be admitted by Dr. Peters in his

to

was mistaken

that he

comte

At

the

for

con-

Dr. Sclater states

specimen brought by Le-

and agrees with Peters

and Gray

\

in re-

as 0. jubata.

it

vember,

living

I

as 0. jubata, as appears

last paper." f

in referring the

to the 0. Hookeri,

garding

same

re-

" I agree

session of the Zoological Society of

first

London, held

in

No-

Dr. Sclater § announced that a young female sea lion

18G
{Otaria jubata), from the Falkland Islands, had been received during
the preceding
says, "

August

at the society's menagerie.

''This individual," he

was the only survivor of eight examples of

this

animal captured

various spots on the coast of the Falklands by Adolphe Alexandre

in

Lecomte,

||

the society's keeper,

who had been

sent out there

by the

council of the society for the purpose of obtaining living specimens of

The

it."

different localities at

which M. Lecomte met with

are mentioned in this communication, from which

it

this species

appears that both

animal and "the fur seal of the Falklands (Otaria falUandica)"

this

The

are far less numerous than formerly.
in considerable

M. Lecomte

numbers

latter species

was observed

at the Volunteer Rocks.

also brought

home a

considerable

skeletons of the sea lion, concerning which Dr.

number

of skins and

James Muriel! soon

published an exceedingly interesting communication.

Lecomte's collec-

tion consisted of parts of fifteen individuals of the Otaria jubata,

one of the Arctocephalus nigrescens Gray.

The

latter species,

and of

however,

was represented by merely the "pectoral extremities" of an adult
male

;

the.-

and skeletons

—

the latter nearly complete

* Monatsb. Berl. Ak. 1866,

p.

— of

four adult females, the

670.

t

Ibid., p. 670.

§

Proc. Lond. Zool. Soc, 1868, p. 627.

||

fe-

former by the skull and skin of an "adult male,"** the skins

Francois Lecomte, according to Dr. Murie.

\

Ibid., 666.

(Sec next foot-note.)

H " Report on the Eared Seals, collected by the Society's Keeper, Francois Lecomte,
in the Falkland Islands," by James Murie, M. I)., etc., Proc. Lond. Zool. Soc, Jan.
1869, pp. 100- 109, PI. vii, and two woodcuts.
** This specimen, according to Dr. Marie's measurements, was but little larger
than the so-called adult female", and hence cannot have been adult.

Respecting the


MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY.
skin and partial skeleton of a

15

young male, skins of two very young

males,* skins of two young females, together with a partial skeleton
of one of them, and five

served in

The

aged male

color of these skins

is

The

only in general terms.

The

skulls.

Three

detailed account of

figured, as

is

its

peculiar attitudes,

While the paper conveys highly important

report.

information in respect to these specimens,

more

male

figures of the animal

(young male, adult female and young), showing

accompany the

skulls are described

skull of a half-grown

an adult female.

also another skull of

also

skins were pre-

described in detail, and a few measure-

ments are given of both the skins and

is

The

skulls.

but the pelage of none of them was in perfect condition.

salt,

them

will yet

is

it

to

be hoped that a far

be given.

Dr. Marie's paper

also embraces valuable observations concerning the habits of these
species, derived

islands

from M. Lecomte, who resided several months on the

among them.

Dr. Murie remarks that he cannot agree with Dr. Gray, " that Dr.
Peters's figured skull of Otaria Philippii

Stelleri

is

most nearly

ing less than 0. Hookeri "

;

to 0.

allied

from California, inasmuch," he continues, "as I consider

noth-

it

both of these gentlemen evidently overlooked

the fact that Dr. Peters states expressly that the 0. Philippii has a
thick under-fur ("die dichte

Unterwolle

rostroth "), whereas both

ist

On

the 0. Stelleri and the 0. Hookeri are true hair seals.

hand, Dr. Murie says he unhesitatingly supports Dr.

Gray

in

the other
his criti-

cism of Dr. Peters as regards the species of sea lions termed respectively 0. Byronia,

adds, " I

am

'

0. leonina, 0.

Godeffroyi, and 0.

Ulloce, as,"

he

perfectly convinced they are but differently aged specimens

of Forster's jubata."
justly, that the

Dr. Murie further observes, and

Arctocephalus nivosus Gray

sexual, or of a different

is

it

seems

to

me

" only a variety, seasonal,

age" of a previously known

species.

In October, 18G9, Dr. Gray published some " Additional Notes on

Sea Bears (Otariadce)" f based mainly on an examination of three

from Desolation Island, and one from the Cape of Good Hope,

skulls

which had recently been sent him by Professor Turner of Edinburgh.
comparative size of the sexes, see Captain C. C. Abbott's notes (Proc. Zool. Soc, 1868,
p.

190) and Dr.

Maack's remarks beyond.

Berlin, 1868, p.

Tome

II, p.

181;

and D'Orbigny's

140, 1839.

* About three months
t

in the Monatsb. Akad. z.
Voyage dans l'Amdrique Meridionale,

Also Burmeister's

in his

Ann. and Mag. Nat.

old,

according to Sclater (Proc. Zool. Soc, 1868,

Hist., 4th Series, Vol. IV, pp.

264-270.

p. 628).


16

BULLETIN OF THE

The

skull from the

Cape of Good Hope

Turner* had founded

Gray

induced to helieve

is

landii, presenting

The

bones.

(he one on which Professor

is

his Arctocephalus schisthyperoes.
is

This skull Dr.

that of a half-grown Arctocephalus Dela-

an individual abnormality

in the

form of the palatine

three skulls from Desolation Island he refers to his Euotaria

In his remarks respecting them he speaks of certain

nigrcscens.

differ-

ences he had observed in the relative position of the hinder grinders in
the Desolation Island skulls, and also in the form of the posterior nares.

In

connection he also compares Euotaria nigrcscens with Arcto-

this

cephalus Dclalandii, and says that the last upper molar teeth being
" placed in front of the hinder edge of the front part of the zygomatic

arch"

the former

in

is,

so far as the skull

distinction of his groups

This difference, he says,

young but

'•

;

We

real."

mainly based),

is
is

concerned (on which his

is

all

that distinguishes them.

slight in the adult, but

even then," he adds, " the difference

is

more marked

in the

more imaginary than

should hardly expect, after this admission, and his apparently

appreciative remarks in the same paper on the notable differences he

had observed
subjoined

remarks

that he

opening of the

"a good

in his

synopsis of the "tribes and genera" of the Otariadfe he

place, as he has done, these

should

He

he regards as specifically identical, that

in skulls

new

does not

nostrils,

character."

two species

now regard

and the form of

The

its

in

different

genera!

the " form of the hinder
front edge," a< constituting

position of the grinders he regards as afford-

ing reliable specific characters during youth, but that in maturity their

form

so

is

much

altered by age,

"and

their position in different spe-

cies so similar, that the distinction of the species becomes more
cult."

He

finally briefly recapitulates

diffi-

the principal distinctive family

characters of the Otariadce, and concludes the paper with a synopsis

of

its

" genera

many genera

and

could well be added.

and one

tribes."

as there are
It

as arbitrary a

He

having previously established as

commonly recognized

is,

specie-,f no

nevertheless, a radically

could well be devised.

new

new genera

classification,

The family
The first

divided into two primary groups, termed ''sections."

is

first

section

embraces a single "tribe," called Otariina, containing the single species
Otaria jubata of the east and west coast of Southern South America.
* See anten,
t

p. 12.

See his papers on the Eared Seals in the Ann. and Mag. Nat Hist, for 18G0 and

1868.


MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY.
The

other section

is

17
named

divided into four " tribes," which are

The

Eumetopiina.

first

embraces the single genus Gallorhinus

second, Phocarctos, Arctocephalus, Euotaria, and Gypsophoca

Zalophus and Neophoca

genera

in

respec-

Callorhinina, (2) Arclocephalina, (3) Zalopliina, and (4)

tively, (1)

The

all.

;

the

;

the third,

;

—

the fourth, Eumetopias and Arctophoca,

ten

drawn almost

short generic diagnoses given are

entirely from two exceedingly variable features of the skull, namely, the

form and relative length of the palatal bones and the form and position

The geographical

of the teeth.
indicated, in

whereas

North

it

was founded

These

says, are not known.

is

is

also

given as " South America,"

McBain

solely on the Olaria Glllespii

species are mentioned

Three alleged

Pacific.

"New

distribution of the supposed genera

which the habitat of Zalophus

whose

of the

skulls,

he

are, (1) Arctocephalus falklandicus, habitat,

Georgia"; (2) A. nivosus,

" A. Forsteri Fischer " habitat, "

habitat, "

New

Cape

of

The

Zealand."

latter I cannot satisfactorily determine.

I

Good Hope";

(3)

character of the

have never seen an " Arcto-

cephalus Forsteri Fischer " elsewhere mentioned

;

the Otaria Fischeri

Lesson and the Phoca Forsteri Fischer* have usually been referred to
Gray's A. Forsteri seems to be based, judging

the A. falklandicus.

from his references, exclusively on the "sea bear" of Dr.
ter.f

But

place specially states.
as the

he

says,

the

name

ticus.

same

this species

Gray

same as the Phoca antarctica Thunberg
is

same as what he had

the

of which species he

as

the one

saw

he

Zealand animal.

I

at

paper regards

in this

% and Fischer,

now consequently changes

New

§

which,

A. antarc-

to

Zealand fur

seal as the

Cape of Good Hope, Gray's A.

the

from the habitat given, only

can see no evidence, however, of the

fur seal being specifically different

in another

called Arctocephalus Delalandii,

Although Forster regarded the

Forsteri seems to refer,

R. Fors-

J.

whose habitat was the Cape of Good Hope, as Gray

from the fur

seal of

to

the

New

New

Zealand

South Australia

{A. cinereus auct.).

In

this

paper the dental formula of the eared seals

time correctly given by the author.
* Synop. Mam.,

Cook's Voyages, Vol.

|

Mem. de

||

for the first

||

p. 232.

t

I,

p.

174

;

Vol.

II, p.

528.

l'Acad. de St. Petersbourg, 3d Series,

Mam., p.
For more than

§ Synop.

is,

Tome

III, p. 322, 1811.

242.
fifteen

years,

through

some strange inadvertence, the dental

formula of the molars of the eared seals was given in Dr. Gray's papers as " |
2
VOL. II.

— 4."


BULLETIN OF THE

18

In " Der Zoologische Garten " for January, 1870,+ Dr. G. A.
describes bis excursion to the

of

Buenos Ayres

(lat.

38° S.) for the purpose of obtaining specimens

of the eared seals, and his

met with both

that he

= 0. leonina Maack)

ples.

As

there, of both of

c), Dr. Maack's observations

(1.

habits of the animals

by Dr. Bur-

Maack

are mainly concerning the

A

figure of

some mistake of the

artist the

locality.

The remarkable form

limbs are improperly represented.

states

Otaria

which he secured exam-

and the character of the

also given, but through

is

He

capturing them.

these specimens had been previously described

the O.jubata

Dr.

in

difficulties

species {Arctocephalus falklandicus and

jubata

meister

Maack

Cabo Corrientes on the southern coast

of the nose,

informs me, correctly represents the specimen from which

the figure was made.

seal that has been figured or described,

any other eared

from

It differs greatly, however, in this respect

and may repre-

sent but an individual or abnormal variation.

W.

In Mr.

H.

Dall's important

work on Alaska f

m ay

be found

valuable notes on the fur and other eared seals of the North Pacific,

with a figure of the Callorhinus ursinus drawn from nature by Mr. Dall.
In addition to the above-mentioned scientific papers, other interesting articles of a popular character have recently appeared, but some of
the statements given in

them are evidently not wholly

In addition to the preceding

summary

reliable.}.

of the more important of the

recent contributions to our knowledge of the eared seals, the reader

is

This mistake occurs in three consecutive synopses of the group (Cat. of Seals in Brit.
Mus 1850; Cat. Seals and Whales in Brit. Mus., 1866; Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist., 3d
.,

Series,

called

—

in the last case corrected, however, in the general list of errata
volume), and twice in each synopsis (in the diagnosis of this group,

XVIII, 1866,

appended

to the

by him Arclocephalina, and

the others.

Whales "

(p.

is,

of course,

fi

—

—

«

genus Arctocepknlus).

The

correct

=

for

—

;

this

genus are

really,

however, |

—

|,

and

in the

«

Vol. XI, pp.

1

Alaska and

its

-

t

t
X

|

;

and seventh species described under
others

in that of the

a part of the species, and $
£ for
In the diagnosis of Arctocephalus given in the " Catalogue of Seals and
8 "
the nlolars of thefrst, third,
47), the molars are stated to be < |

formula of the molars

8.

Resources, Boston, June, 1870.

One of the more important ones relative to the North Pacific species is a recent
"Old and New" Magazine (Vol. I, pp. 487-493, April, 1870), by Mr.
Howes, Jr. In •Hutchin's "Scenes of Wonder and Curiosity in California" (p.

article in the

0.

187, figs. 1

Islands.
size.

and

They

2) are also a

few interesting notes on the sea

lions of the Farallone

contain, however, exaggerated statements, especially in respect to their


MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY.

19

referred to three recent systematic synopses of the family for an expres-

and higher groups of

sion of the later opinions relative to the genera

the three eminent zoologists who, within the

will properly represent

four years, have pub-

last

lished special classifications of these animals, as

no tabulated summary

These are Dr.

them.

Prodrome," *

Gill's "

Professor Peters's revision f of the genera and species, published in

186G, and Dr. Gray's synopsis

\

of the " tribes and genera," published

in 1869.

2.

On the Affinities, Distinctive Characters, and Synonymy of the
Family OtariaDjE, with Remarks on Sexual, Aye, and Individual
Variation,

and a Conspectus of the Genera and

Family

OTARIAD^l

Brookes.

Phocacea auriculata Peron, Voy. Terr, austr.,
Otariada

Brookes,

" Otaride's
Otariidce

Sjjecies, etc.

II, 37,

1816.

Cat. Anat. and Zool. Mus., 36, 1828.

Gervais,

Hist. Nat. des Marnmiferes, II, 305."

Gill, Proc. Essex Institute, V,

7,

1866.

Otariada Gray, Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist., 3d Ser., XVIII, 228, 1866.

Gray, Ann. of Phil., 1825.
Gray, Charlesworth's Mag. Nat. Hist., I, 583, 1837.
"
Turner, Proc. Lond. Zool. Soc., 1848, 88; Ann. and
Mag. Nat. Hist., 1st Ser., Ill, 422, 1848.
Peron, Voy. Terr, austr., II, 37, 1816.

Otariina

Arctocephalina

Otaria

"

Peters, Monatsb. Akad.

— Body

Distinctive Characters.

the Phocidm

locomotion.

when
The

in the Rosmarida>.

Hind limbs comparatively

very far back.

directed forward

attenuated than in the majority of

less

more attenuated than

;

like, situated

trial

Berlin, 1866, 261, 665.

the animal

is

at rest,

first

;

digits of the

without

nails, or

hand

;

short, exceedingly stout

;

Outer

digits of the

Institute, Vol. V, pp. 7, 10, 11.

Akad.

Monatsb.

t

Ann. and Mag. Nat.

P.

hind limbs

the outer digits without nails or with very rudimentary

t

d. k.

and

the latter sub-equal, and provided with well-

and much shorter and thicker than the inner

* Proc. Essex

for terres-

with extremely rudimentary ones, situated at a

longer than the middle ones

ones,

fin-

hind feet

successively decrease in length from the

distance from the edge of the hand.

developed nails

and serviceable

;

Bones of the upper and fore-arm

and corresponding bones of the leg very

The

free

digits terminate in long cartilaginous flaps, con-

nected at the base by membranes.

heavy.

Fore limbs

z.

Berlin, 1866, p. 670.

Hist., 4th Series, Vol.

IV, p. 269.

digits.

Pubic bones


BULLETIN OF THE

20

not anchylosed, and in the female considerably separated.
opposite the posterior end of the second sacral vertebra.

The

with a sub-cylindrical external conch.

and an alisphcnoid canal

orbital process

and

salient, distinct

=|

much

bulla, -which is

is

strong

smaller than

~ § or f ~ f canines, ^ ^;
fzzf = i|=:34, or J^ — J^=fg==36.

whole number of teeth,

5

skull has a well-developed

the mastoid process

Molars either |

in the Phocidce.

f

from the auditory

;

Acetabula

Ears provided

incisors,

;

Testes scrotal, situated as in the Suidce.

Rank and

Affinities.

*- The

seals

were

writers to the Linnasan genus Phoca.

by the

referred

all

Buffon was the

who

recognized the division of the seals

seals

and

first

made by seamen

earless seals, accordingly as they possessed or

Later Peron,*

external ears.

into eared

were devoid of

1816, regarded these two groups as

in

genera, and gave to the eared seals the

name

of Otaria, leaving the

Finally these two groups were regarded by

Phoca.

earless seals in

earlier

naturalist

1828, as constituting two families, the walrus, in his

Brookes,f in

system, forming a third.

These groups have been generally recognized

as natural, but their

variously estimated by different authors.

rank has been

regarded the eared

earless

the

seals,

seals,

Turner

and the walrus as

{

to-

gether constituting a single family, which he divided into three subfamilies,

— Arctocephalina,

embracing

Trichecina, embracing only the
the earless seals.

Otaria

and

Arctocephalus

walrus; and Phocina, embracing

Pie observes, however, in referring to the classifica-

tion of the Pinnipedia

made by Gray

in 1837, § that if the sub-families

of the Phocina, proposed by that author, be entitled
" the walrus

and the Arctocephaline group, which

from the other

;

all

seals,

would almost seem entitled

to

differ so

to the

that rank,

decidedly

rank of families."

All writers, except Brookes and Gervais, previous to 18GG, seem to

have regarded these three groups as constituting a single family.
however,

in his

Prodrome,

Gill,

considered them as distinct families, which

||

view has since been adopted by Gray.H
* Voy. Terr,

aust., Vol. II, p. 37, 1816

Anatom. and

t

Cat. of his

J

Proc. London Zool. Soc,

§

Charlesworth's Mag. Nat. Hist., Vol.

||

" Prodrome of a Monograph of the Pinnipedes," Proc. Essex Institute, Vol. V,

p. 7, .Inly,

T

Mas., p 36, 1828.

Zoiil.
p. 88,

1848.
I,

p. 583.

1866.

Ann. and Mag. Nat.

Hist.,

3d

Ser., Vol.

XVIII,

p. 229, 1866.


MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY.

21

Believing that they have a higher than a sub-family value, I adopt
for the present

drome, which

by Dr.

the classification elaborated

seems

is, it

to

Gill in his

Pinnipedes that has been proposed.

Gill's

arrangement places the

Otariadce between the Phocidce and the Rosmaridce.

rangement of these groups can, I think,
rank and mutual

The

affinities.

though they seem intermediate

Their

and the walruses.

seals

be indicated as follows

No

serial

ar-

fully express their relative

Otariadce are evidently the highest,

in

general features between the earless

affinities,

—

:

Pro-

me, the most natural arrangement of the

as they appear to me,

may

Otariadce.

Rosmaridce.
Phocidce.

While the Rosmaridce are lower than
are

the Otariadce,

and the Phocidce

lower than the Rosmaridce, the latter evidently do not con-

still

nect the other two groups.

The evidence
consists

of the superiority of the Otariadce over the Phocidce

mainly in that modification of their general structure, and

have

freer use

of their limbs, and are able to
the Phocidce, on

considerable rapidity;

when

great difficulty

former

is

by

and

witli

move with

But the higher rank of

the

their semi-terrestrial habits, the scrotal po-

in the nearer

approach in general features

to the terrestrial Carnivores, especially in the

Most of

of the acetabula.

move on land

other hand,

the

out of the water.

also indicated

sition of the testes,

es-

and posterior extremities, by means of which they

pecially of the pelvis

more

posterior position

these modifications are, however, nearly

equally shared by the Rosmaridce, indicating likewise that their true
station

is

above that of the majority of the Phocidce.

Primary Subdivisions.

— The members of

the Otariadce

form among

themselves a closely connected group, as well as a well-defined one.

But

in general form, in size, in color

two tolerably
which

in

a general

of seamen, and

vierj was the

and

in the

character of the pelage,

distinct divisions of the Otariadce

way correspond with

the

first

fur seals

naturalist

may

and hair

seals

who recognized

of commerce.

the
t

first

by the same

living specimen of Otarla jabata, exhibited in England.

Mem. du

Mus.,

Tome

XI,

p.

205

tt seq.,

1824.

F. Cu-

these divisions, he regard-

* The term sea bear, however, has been sometimes applied
fur and hair seals, and even to the same animal

be recognized,

the sea bears* and sea lions

indiscriminately to

person, as in the case of