and sociable. When disturbed they only think of saving themselves in the sea, and never bite except one put himself in their way: often, however, they will pass between one's legs in their hurry, without offering the slightest injury. They easily familiarize themselves with man. "I preserved," says Mr Pagis,* "two of them for eight days. The first day I put sea-water into their tub, one foot and a half deep, but as they seemed anxious to avoid it, I tried fresh water, which was not more agreeable; I therefore left them dry afterwards. On coming out of the water they shook their coats like dogs; they sneezed, too, like them, and scratched and cleaned themselves with their snout, and lay down close together as they do. When the sun shone I left them on the ship's deck, and they never seemed to wish to retreat except when they saw the sea. Not only did they scratch themselves and each other, but they liked the men to do it, and followed them with great familiarity, and smelt them as do dogs. They had a great affection for each other, and when separated immediately endeavoured to meet: if we took up the one, the other certainly followed. When fish, or bread soaked in water, was offered them, they smelt it, but would not take it. They, therefore, did not thrive in their confinement, and were thrown into the sea, where they seemed to be more at home."

We now proceed to the SEA BEARS.

• Apud Buffon, loc. cit.

THE URSINE SEAL, OR SEA-BEAR OF STELLER.

Otaria Ursina.-DESMAREST.

PLATE XXI.

Otaria Ursina, Cuv. Des. 381. Arctocephalus Ursinus, F. Cuv. Ph. Ursina, Gm. Otaria Stelleri, Less.❤

THIS Ursine Seal of Steller has been considered as identical with the Ursine Seal of the Southern Hemisphere, by nearly all Naturalists, and among others by Buffon, who collected all the materials he could procure of both, and applied them to one. All analogy would lead us to question the propriety of this, and we have little doubt that careful examination will lead to an opposite conclusion. The following opinion of Peron's is striking-" We are convinced that under the name of Sea-Bear there really exist more than twenty Seals, which differ

In Gray's Spi. Zool. there is a cranium of what he calls Arctocephalus Lobatus, and which he says differs considerably from its congeners, the Phoca Ursina, in Zool. Journ. iv. 496.

from each other in all their minute characteristic points. We shall first introduce the very elaborate description of Steller, supplying an abridgment of his enlarged account in nearly a literal translation.

This nearly amphibious animal, of the size of a very large Bear, resembles no animal so much as that we have just named; there is an exception, in that the feet and hinder parts of the body suddenly diminish in their dimensions, become weak and slender, and terminate in a conical shape; so much so, that the circumference of the body, which is five feet at the shoulder, is reduced to twenty inches near the tail. The extreme length is seven and a half feet. The head especially resembles that of the Common Bear, but on account of the thickness of the skin and fat, it appears larger and rounder. The mouth is very small and prominent, as in the Bear; the forehead rises suddenly towards the eyes; the nostrils are composed of black skin, and are not covered with hair; they are oval and open; the lips are externally tumid, and internally of a rosy hue; the whiskers are long, but not numerous; the teeth are like those of the Sea-Lion, (p. 236,) with this important difference, that they are only a quarter of the size; the apex of the tongue is bifurcated; the eyes are very prominent and full, nearly as large as those of the ox, the iris is black, the pupil bright green; there are eye-lids and eye-brows, with a

Ann, des Mus. d'Hist. Nat. t. xv. 293.

membrana nictitans, by which it can protect the eye; the external ears are one inch and eight lines long, conical and erect, covered with short hair; they open by an oblong slit, which is shut in the

water.

This creature has four feet on which it can walk and stand somewhat like land animals. The limbs are formed of precisely the same bones, but so buried in the skin, and webbed, that the fingers of the fore-paw coalesce into one mass, as do those of the hind foot, and thus the whole become fins in swimming. The fore-legs are two feet long and eight inches broad; they are not hid as in the Seal, but are seen entire as in quadrupeds; they are covered with hair, except the under part of the paw; on the upper part are seen very slender and minute rudimentary nails, which nature seems to have added, that they might not be wanting, rather than they might be of use; the posterior edge is festooned in five very small curves, corresponding to the five toes. By help of the web, the animal can easily raise the upper part of its body above the water, and so appear to stand erect in it. When on shore, with the hind feet folded under, it plants its paws in front, and sits as dogs often do, so that the toes then perform the office of heels.

The hind flippers are twenty-two inches long and six broad, and are of little use in walking; they adhere so closely to the body that each, indeed, can be

moved separately, but cannot assume the position as in standing, so that when the animal attempts to move forward on land, it draws its hind feet and the whole of its body behind it like an inert mass. The parts corresponding to the thigh and leg are concealed in the body, but those forming the ankle and foot are free and exposed, and covered with hair; where the bones end, the flipper is divided, and its extremity appears like five straps, the extremities of which are round. The nails on the great and little toes are so small that they can be of no use; those on the other toes are much larger, and of the same length and breadth.

The skin is very thick, and the hair is like that of the Seal, but four times longer, standing erect, and very thick. Close to the skin there is a very soft wool, which is of a brownish-red colour. The longer hair in the old males is two inches long round the neck, erect and stiff, and thus, when the animal becomes dry, it appears considerably larger than when in the water: their hairs are black, and in the aged become tipped with white; the females are ash-coloured, and many are partly ash-coloured and partly brown. The skins of the young are much prized for clothing; and Steller says, "When I was in Behring's Island, I prepared a garment for myself of a young one with my own hands, and will ever retain a grateful recollection of it. The brain was much larger, comparatively speaking, than that of the Otter, and the primæ viæ was fifteen times