Eared Seals and Their Habits*

Abstract

THIS paper, which forms the first number of the the second volume of the “Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard College in (Transatlantic) Cambridge,” is one of great zoological importance, and likewise of much general interest. The Eared Seals, a group of marine Carnivora, which form a wellmarked division of the Pinnipedia, distinguished by the possession of a small external ear-conch and other peculiarities, are still very imperfectly known, although of late years they have attracted the attention of several eminent naturalists. Unfortunately, however, the great variations which occur in the sexes and different ages of these animals, have not been sufficiently appreciated by those who have studied the few specimens of them preserved in European museums. The consequence has been that numerous artificial species have been manufactured upon stray skulls and imperfect skins, which have exhibited what were really only individual differences. Moreover, what is worse than this, under the prevailing mania for coining new generic names, more genera of Eared Seals have been established than the number of species which actually exist in nature. Foremost amongst these offenders, we regret to say, has been one of our own countrymen, who, in a recent article published in the “Annals of Natural History,” has subdivided, on the most trivial characters, the family Otariidae into four subfamilies and ten genera! We shall see. how much more reasonable and consonant with nature are Mr. Alien's views on the arrangement of these animals.