OCR Text |
Show 190 CAPT. ABBOTT ON THE SEALS OF THE FALKLANDS. [Mar. 12, its upper lip, which is somewhat like a diminutive proboscis. It is not at all common in this group of islands, and comparatively few of the skins are brought in by the sealers; it is, however, frequently seen in one or two of the bays on the north shore of East Falkland, where it is little disturbed, owing to the sealing-boats being unable to approach the shore. In these bays the Sea-Elephants breed in some of the many caverns, the only entrances to which are by water. I have never met with this Seal alive, but I have examined the skins and skulls which have been brought in by the sealers ; its hair is very coarse, and its hide very thick. This Seal is by far the largest of all the four kinds inhabiting the Falkland Islands, its skull being one-third larger than that of the next species. 2. THE SEA-LION. (Otariajubata.)* I presume that this Seal derives its name from the roar that the male makes when disturbed or fighting, and from the long manelike hair which covers his neck and shoulders. It is very common in the Falklands, being found plentifully on many of the islands, and even on the north shore of West Falkland ; here also it breeds, being little disturbed by the sealing-boats. There is a remarkable disparity in size between the male and female of this Seal. The male is as large as a bullock in circumference, while the female is no bigger than a calf. At one time only the female was killed by the sealers, as the skin of the male was considered to be of little value ; and this may account for the preponderance of males which I have observed. * This is Otaria jubata {Phoca jubata, Schreb., from Forster's " Sea-Lion." Otaria leonina, Peron; Gray, Catal. of Seals and Whales, p. 59). Capt. Abbott's skin and skull of this animal are now in the British Museum ; so that there can be no doubt about their identity, although they are not included in Dr. Gray's latest enumeration of the specimens of this portion of the collection. The older authors (Schreber, Gmelin, &c.) confounded under the name Phoca jubata the present animal and the Sea-Lion of the Northern Pacific (Leo marinus of Steller = Phoca stelleri, Fischer = Arctocephalus monteriensis et Otaria stelleri, Gray = Eumetopias californiana. Gill). I agree with Dr. Peters (Monatsb. Berl. Ac. 18G6, p. 274) in thinking it best to reserve the name jubata for the southern species, and to call the northern one stelleri. I consider 0. leonina, F. Cuv., to be probably the same as 0. jubata, as appears to be admitted by Dr. Peters in his last paper (/. c. p. 670). The fine series of the skulls of 0. jubata in the Museum of the College of Surgeons has lately been increased by the receipt of a skull of an adult male of this species obtained by Dr. Cunningham at Dungeness Point, in the extreme south of South America. Since the death of our Sea-Bear in the Gardens I have had an opportunity of examining its skull, and have now to confess that I have been wrong in determining it to be O. hookeri. The skull certainly belongs to the long-palated series, and is not distinguishable from specimens in the Museum of the Royal College of Surgeons, which are believed to be females or young individuals of 0. jubata. Nor is this animal distinguishable externally by any marked characters from Capt. Abbott's skin in the British Museum. I am therefore disposed to agree with Dr. Peters's views (I. s. c. p. 666) and Dr. Gray's opinion (Ann. Nat. Hist. ser. 4. vol. i. p. 108) that our beast was only a stunted male of O. jubata. In this case, however, the animal must be some years in coming to its full stature and the mane (whence it has received its name) only apparent when the beast is fully adult.-P. L. S. |