THE SPECIES OF THE GENUS. 17 



appear to be referable to the existing Walruses, and of course 

 become merely synonyms of earlier names. Consequently the 

 choice evidently lies between Odobccnus and Rosmarus. Odobcc- 

 nus has sixteen years' priority over Rosmarus, if we go back to 

 the earliest introduction of these names into systematic nomen- 

 clature. * It is true that Eosmarus was the earliest Latin name 

 applied to the Walrus, its use dating back to the middle of the 

 sixteenth century, when it was employed interchangeably with 

 Mors and Morsus by Olaus Magnus, Gesner, Herberstain, and 

 others, but only in a vernacular sense. Although used by Klein 

 systematically in 1751, Gill adopted it from Scopoli, 1777, proba- 

 bly because Klein was not a " binomialist." Linne" used Odobcenus 

 generically in 1735, as did also Brisson in 1756. The whole 

 question turns on what shall be considered as the proper start- 

 ing-point for generic nomenclature, about which opinion is still 

 divided. If the early generic names of Artedi, Klein, Brisson, 

 and Linne (prior to 1758) are admissible, as many high author- 

 ities believe, then Odobcenus is unquestionably the only tenable 

 generic name for the group in question, of which Rosmarus is a 



synonym, t 



SPECIES. 



The existing Walruses have been commonly considered as 

 belonging to a single circumpolar species. A few authors have 

 recognized two, or deemed the existence of two probable, while 

 one appears to have admitted three. Altogether, however, not 

 less than six or seven specific names have been given to the ex- 

 isting species, besides several based on fossil remains of the 

 Atlantic Walrus. In the present paper, the attempt will be 

 made to establish the existence of two j but before entering 

 further upon the discussion, it may not be out of place to 

 glance briefly at the views previous authors have held respect- 

 ing the point in question. 



Pennant appears to have been the first to call attention to 

 the probable existence of more than a single species of Walrus, 

 who, in 1792, in speaking of the Walruses of the Alaskan coast, 

 says : " I entertain doubts whether these animals [of " Uualascha, 

 Sandwich Sound, and Turnagain Eiver"] are of the same species 



* Odobcemts, Linu6, "Digit! ant., post. 5, palmipes. Eoss Morsus. Dentes 

 intermedii superiores longissirni." Syst. Nat., 1735 (ed. Fe"e), 59. Rosmarus, 

 Klein, Quad. Disp. Brev. Hist. Nat., 1751, 40, 92. 



tin accordance with custom in similar cases, the name of the family be- 

 comes Odobccnidw, neither Eosmaridce nor Trichechidce being tenable. 

 Misc. Pub. ISTo. 12 2 



