608 PHOCA .FCETIDA RINGED SEAL. 



same conclusion, affirming most emphatically that the Caspian 

 Seal was in no way closely related to Phoca vitulina, but found 

 its nearest affine in Phoca fcetida* The distinctive characters 

 claimed by these authors for the Caspian Seal, as compared 

 with Phoca fcetida, are larger size, smaller and more widely sep- 

 arated teeth, greater convexity of the cranium, longer, stiffer, 

 and more numerous mystacial bristles, and a somewhat differ- 

 ent pattern of coloration. The differences claimed by Nilsson 

 and Wagner were confirmed by Eaddet in 1862, who gave a 

 detailed comparison of the cranial characters of Phoca caspica 

 with those of Phoca fcetida. Yet, in face of all this testimony, 

 we find Mr. Andrew Murray, as late as 1866,$ affirming that the 

 Caspian Seal "is PHOCA VITULINA," and that the Baikal Seal 

 is nothing but Phoca fcetida.^ It appears, however, that the 



grosser, amlers gefiirbt, hat viel stiirkeres Bartbaar, absteheudere uud klei- 

 iiere Zabne, und den Zwischeubalkeu iiach hinten zu abgerundet, wodurch 

 eine rundlicke Uebegangsfliiche zwischen Stirn und ScHiifengrube entsteht, 

 wo sicb bei Ph. anndlata stets eine scbarfe Kante findet." Wieymann's 

 Arch, fiir Natury., 1841, p. 314. 



* On tbis point be says, "Auch aus meiuer Vergleicbuug gebt es bervor, 

 dass Phoca caspica keineswegs mit der Ph. vitulina, souderu nur mit der 

 Ph. annellata, in uiichste Beziebung treteu kanu. Als Uuterschiede fiude 

 icb, dass die Riugelzeichnuug bei Ph. caspica minder ausgebildet ; ist dafiir 

 siud die Bartscbnurren weit zahlreicher, lunger uud steifer, die Kralleu 

 schwiicher und nicbt kohlschwarz wie bei Ph. annellata, sondern bellbraun 

 mitweisslichen Spitzen. . . ." Schreber's Siiugth., Tbeil vii, p. 35. 



tReisen im Siiden vom Ost-Sibirieus, vol. i, pp. 296-304. 



tGeograph. Distr. Mam., p. 126. 



It is perbaps not strange tbat Mr. Murray should have referred the Seal 

 of Lake Baikal to Phoca fcetida, especially inasmuch as Radde had affirmed 

 the two to be identical after having compared specimens, but bis strange 

 perversion of the record iu the case of the Caspian Seal deserves a passing 

 notice. He says : "The species in the Caspian [Sea] (Phoca caspica) is de- 

 scribed as very nearly allied to our common Phoca vitulina, and that in Lake 

 Baikal as equally close to Phoca fwtida (Ph. annellata, Miss.), a species 

 found in the North Atlantic ; and but for their geographical position, no 

 one would think of separating them from these species. In fact, the one is 

 the PHOCA VITULINA, and the other the PHOCA FCETIDA. Nilsson and Gray 

 no doubt both consider them distinct, but I do not apprehend that either of 

 them does so from actual observation [Nilssou characterized Phoca caspica 

 from specimens!], and it is scarcely possible to doubt that the peculiarity 

 of the locality must have had some influence on their minds. On the other 

 hand, Pallas, Gmeliu, Fischer, [these authors referred both to Phoca vitulina 

 as varieties of that species !] and Radde, regard them as belonging to the 

 two species they resemble, and Radde's personal experiences must outweigh 

 any foregone conclusion arrived at by others who have not had the advan- 

 tage of seeing the animals themselves." Geogr. Distr. Mam., p. 126. Tbat 



