THE SEA-LION OF FORSTER.

PLATE XVIII.

Leo Marinus, Buff. Otaria Leo Marinus, Forsterii, Lesson. O. The Sea-Lion of Forster.

Jubata, Des.

MR FORSTER is the principal, if not the only, original authority among naturalists, for this great Lion Seal of the southern hemisphere. He met it when accompanying Captain Cook in his second voyage, and gave an interesting description of it in his narrative of that expedition.* Mr Forster, or rather perhaps his father, transmitted about the same time to Count Buffon a detailed account of this animal, together with drawings taken from nature, both of which were used in the supplement of his Histoire Naturelle, where, however, this document is unfortunately mixed up with Steller's account just given. We here therefore reject what has been copied from Steller, and give only what appears to have been drawn from Forster's communication.

* Voyage, &c., by G. Forster, 4to, Lond. 1777, vol. ii. 512,

After describing the coat and mane very much as Steller had done, Buffon proceeds-"It has no fur or short woolly hair under the longer hair, as is found in the Sea-Bears. The weight of the full-grown male is about sixteen cwt., and its length between ten and twelve feet; the females are much more slender and shorter, usually about seven or eight feet long. They are every where equally thick, and look like great cylinders more suitable for rolling than for walking. Moreover, this rounded body scarcely seems to be properly trimmed, because, being covered with an immense quantity of fat, it immediately assumes all the inequalities of the soil and rocks over which it moves or rests while taking repose. The head appears too small in proportion to the body; the muzzle is not unlike that of a large mastiff, being somewhat elevated and truncated at its extremity; the upper lip overhangs the lower, and both are supplied with long coarse black whiskers, which become white with age. The ears are conical, about six or seven lines long, the cartilage is firm and stiff, and yet they are somewhat curled at the margin; they are covered with hair externally, and are smooth and destitute of it internally. The eyes are large and prominent, so are the caruncles, which have a bright red colour, so that the eyes appear inflamed; there is a nictitating membrane which covers all the eye at the will of the animal. The tongue is somewhat forked at the extremity." The teeth are made so exactly to correspond with Steller's description, that though

no reference is made to it, no one can doubt it is a mere copy.

The Sea-Lion has not so much fore-paws as fins proceeding from the sides of the chest; they are smooth, of a black colour, without any appearance of fingers, with a mere trace of nails; they have the shape of roundish tubercles, and are of a horny consistency; they are situated at about one-third from the extremity of the paw, the whole form of which is that of an elongated triangle truncated at its point; it is quite devoid of hair, and deeply striped on its under surface. The posterior extremities are not very unlike the anterior; they have the same black skin underneath, and clearly include five very long and flat toes, which are terminated by thin compressed membranes which extend beyond their extremities; the small nails, which are placed at the end of the proper fingers, are of no more important use than to enable the animal to scratch itself.

The illustrious Cook himself states, that the largest of these animals he met with were not more than twelve or fourteen feet in length, and perhaps eight or ten in circumference: the female is not half so long, and is covered with short hair of an ash colour. He adds" It is not at all dangerous to go among them, for they either fled or lay still. The only danger was in going between them and the sea; for if they took fright at any thing, they would come down in such numbers, that if you could not get out of their way, you would be run over. When we came suddenly upon them, or waked them out of

their sleep, (for they are sluggish, sleepy animals,) they would raise up their heads, snort and snarl, and look fierce, as if they meant to devour us; but as we advanced upon them they always ran away, so that they are downright bullies."*

Forster remarks, that the "rocks along the shore, in New-Year's Harbour, were covered with multitudes of these Seals, which, from their manes, well deserved the name of Sea-Lions. We put into a little cove under the shelter of some rocks, and fired at some of these fierce animals, most of which immediately threw themselves into the sea. Some of the most unwieldy, however, kept their ground, and were killed by our bullets. The noise which all the animals of this kind made was various, and sometimes stunned our ears. The old males snort and roar like mad bulls or lions; the females bleat exactly like calves, and the young cubs like lambs. They live together in numerous herds. The oldest and fattest males lie apart, each having chosen a large rock to which none of the rest dare approach without engaging in furious combat. We have often seen them seize each other with a degree of rage which is not to be described; and many of them had deep gashes on their backs, which they had received in the wars. The younger active Sea-Lions, with all the females and the cubs, lie together. They commonly waited the approach of our people; but so soon as some of the herd were

*In Kerr's Voyages, vol. xv. p. 16.

killed, the rest took flight with great precipitation, some females taking off a cub in their mouths, whilst many were so terrified that they left them behind. When left to themselves, they were often seen caressing each other in the most tender manner, and their snouts often met together as if they were kissing. They come on shore on these uninhabited spots to breed, and do not feed during their stay on land, which sometimes lasts several weeks; they then grow lean, and swallow a considerable quantity of stones to keep their stomach distended. We were surprised to find the stomachs of many of them entirely empty, and those of others filled with ten or twelve round heavy stones, each the size of two fists."

Each of the great herds of these amphibia is composed of an adult male, and a number of females and their young. The number of females would appear to vary. Cook, in his own account, says "The male is surrounded by from twenty to thirty females, and he is very attentive to keep them all to himself, beating off every male who attempts to come into his flock. Others, again, had a less number, some no more than one or two; and here and there we have seen one lying growling in a retired place alone, and suffering neither males nor females to approach him. We judged that these were old and superannuated."* Forster reckons the number of females at ten or twelve, and from fifteen

• Cook's Second Voyage, P. iii. B. ii. Ch iv.