TECHNICAL HISTORY GENERA. 415 



^vas made by Nilssou in 1820,* who separated from the other 

 Earless Seals the Gray Seal and the Crested Seal, which formed 

 the types and sole representatives, respectively, of his genera 

 Hallcliccrus (type, Halichcenis griseus, Nils., = Phoca grypm, 

 Fabr.), and Cystopliora (type. Cystophora borealis, Mis. = Phoca 

 crixtata, Erxl.). These genera became soon widely recognized, 

 and have been (with the exceptions soon to be noticed) since 

 currently adopted. The next dismemberment was virtually 

 effected by Fleming t in 1822 by suggesting that the Monk or 

 Mediterranean Seal might require, with possibly others, to be 

 placed in a genus Monachus, with the Phoca monachus of Her- 

 mann as the type. J 



F. Cuvier in 1824, either ignorant of, or ignoring, the generic 

 separations made by Mlsson and Fleming (as he makes no ref- 

 erence to them), divided the genus Phoca of preceding authors 

 into five genera, namely: 1. CaUoccplialus (type, Phoca vitulina, 

 Linn.) ; 2. Stenorhynchus (type, Phoca leptonyx, Blainv.) ; 3. Pela- 

 (jius (type, Phoca monachus, Hermann); 4. Stemmatopm (type, 

 Phoca cristata, Erxleben); 5. Macrorhinus\\ (type, Phoca pro- 



* " Skaud. Fauna, i, 1820, pp. 376, 382." 



t Philosophy of Zoology, vol. ii, 1822, p. 187, foot-note. 



t Fleming suggested rather than constituted the genus Monachus, for he 

 simply says of it in a foot-note under the genus Phoca : "Some seals, as Ph. 

 monachus, are said to have four incisors in each jaw. Such will be prob- 

 ably constituted into a new genus, under the title Mouachus." This is the 

 whole basis of Fleming's genus Monachus, which is allowed precedence over 

 F. Cuvier's genus Pelagius, based on a detailed account of the distinctive 

 cranial characters of Phoca monachus, together with a figure of the skull. 

 Other Seals than Plwca monachus are not only "said to have," but are well 

 known to have ' ' four incisors in each jaw ", and mention of Phoca monachus 

 is all that saves Fleming's genus, for it cannot be said to be characterized; 

 and ought not to be recognized to the prejudice of Pelagius. Upon Dr. Gray 

 (Cat. Seals, Brit. Mus., 1850) appears to fall the responsibility of reviving 

 the generic name Monaclms, and renaming the species Monaclius albiventer 

 (ex Boddaert), although Nilsson appears to have previously employed it in 

 1837, but speedily abandoned it for Pelagius, F. Cuvier. Says Nilsson, " Ich 

 hatte in der Vet. Academieus Handl. for 1837, p. 235, die hierher gehorige 

 Art Monachus mediterraneus geuauut, aber seitdem ich erfahreu, dass Fr. 

 Cuvier dieselbe schon im Diet, d'hist. uat. unter dem Namem Pelagius mona- 

 chus beschrieben, scheiut mir dieser Name wegeu seiner Prioritiit beibehalten 

 werden zu miisseu." Wiegmann's Arch.fiir Naturg., 1841, i.p. 308, foot-note. 



vSAim. du Mus. d'Hist. Nat., vol. xi, 1824, pp. 174-200, pll. xii-xiv. 



|| F. Cuvier's names appeared here only under the gallicized forms respect- 

 ively of Callocephale, Stenorhinqite, Pelage, Stemmatope, and Macrorliine. They 

 were first Latinized as above by the same author in 1826 (Diet, des Scien. 

 Nat., vol. xxix, 1826, pp. 544-552), but naturalists generally concur in assign- 

 ing 1824 as the date of the introduction of these genera into systematic 

 literature. 



