278 SEXUAL selection: mammals. PaktII. 



posed by some ^Y^ite^s to affect the voice. The nose of 

 the male sea-elephant [Macrorhinus jproboscideiis), when 

 about three years old, is greatly elongated during the 

 breeding-season, and can then be erected. In this state 

 it is sometimes a foot in length. The female at no 

 period of life is thus provirled, and her voice is dif- 

 ferent. That of the male consists of a wild, hoarse, 

 gurgling noise, which is audible at a great distance, 

 and is believed to be strengthened by the proboscis. 

 Lesson compares the erection of the proboscis, to the 

 swelling of the wattles of male gallinaceous birds, whilst 

 they court the females. In another allied kind of seal, 

 namely, the bladder-nose (CystojjJiora cristata), the head 

 is covered by a great hood or bladder. This is inter- 

 nally supported by the septum of the nose, which is 

 produced far backwards and rises into a crest seven 

 inches in heisfht. The hood is clothed with short hair, 

 and is muscular ; it can be inflated until it more than 

 equals the whole head in size ! The males when rut- 

 ting fight furiously on the ice, and their roaring "is 

 " said to be sometimes so loud as to be heard four 

 " miles off." When attacked by man they likewise roar 

 or bellow ; and v^'henever irritated the bladder is in- 

 flated. Some naturalists believe that the voice is thus 

 strengthened, but various other uses have been assigned 

 to this extraordinary structure. Mr. E. Brown thinks 

 that it serves as a protection against accidents of all 

 kinds. This latter view is not probable, if what the 

 sealers have long maintained is correct, namely, that 

 the hood or bladder is very poorly developed in the 

 females and in the males whilst young.^ 



^ On the sea-eleioliant, see an article by Lesson, in 'Diet. Class. 

 Hist. Nat.' torn, xiii, p. 418. For the Cysto]Dliora or Stommatopuis, see 

 Dr. Dekay, 'Annals of Lycenni of Nat. Hist. New York,' vol. i. 1824, 

 p. 94. Pennant has also collected inlormatiun from the sealers on this 



