HABITS. 753 



of travellers. Dr. Gill observes, in his paper already cited, 

 "For a long time, the fact that a species of the genus Macro- 

 rhinus or Elephant-Seal inhabits the coast of Western North 

 America has been well-known. But, on account of the want 

 of opportunity for comparison of specimens, the relations of 

 the species have not been understood". I fail to find, however, 

 in any technical account of the Sea Elephant, any previous no- 

 tice of their occurrence on the coast of North America. Dr. 

 Gill compares his specimen of the skull with the figure of the 

 skull of Moriwga elephantina (=MacrorMnus leonlnus) pub- 

 lished by Dr. Gray in the " Zoology of the Erebus and Terror ", 

 and says if that "represents an equally old female, the present 

 species must be very distinct". He adds, "I do not know the 

 size of the original of that gentleman's figure. Some of the 

 differences, however, cannot be the effect of age, and there can 

 exist no doubt that the present form is at least distinct from 

 those described by the Cuviers, Blainville, and Gray. In al- 

 lusion to the peculiarly narrowed and produced snout of the 

 female, the name Nacrorhinus angustirostris is conferred upon 

 it," * 



HABITS. We are indebted to Captain Scammon, who has 

 fortunately had favorable opportunities for observation, for 

 everything of importance that has thus far been recorded re- 

 specting the habits of the Sea Elephant of California. "The 

 habits of these huge beasts," he tells us,t "when on shore, or 

 loitering about the foaming breakers, are in many respects like 

 those of the Leopard Seals [Phoca mtulina]. Our observations 

 on the Sea Elephants of California go to show that they have 

 been found in much larger numbers from February to June 

 than during other mouths of the year; but more or less were 

 at all times found on shore upon their favorite beaches, which 

 were about the islands of Santa Barbara, Cerros, Guadalupe, 

 San Bouitos, Natividad, San Eoque, and Asuncion, and some 



* " On a new species of the genus Macrorhimts." Proc. Chicago Acad., i, 

 1866, pp. 33-34. 



t Marine Mammalia, 1874, pp. 117-119. See also Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. 

 Phila., 1860, pp. 63-65, where the account here quoted was first published. 

 See further J. Ross Browne's Resources of the Pacific Coast [Append.], p. 

 129, where the same author has also given a short account of its habits as 

 observed at Cedros (or Cerros) Island in 185-2. Also an article entitled 

 "Sea-Elephant Hunting," in the " Overland Monthly" magazine, iii, pp. 

 112-117, Nov., 1870. 



Misc. Pub. No. 12 48 



