606 CARNIVORA 



upper part of the head. Nails present, though small, on the hind 

 feet. One species, C. cristata, the Hooded or Bladder-Nose Seal of 

 the Polar Seas. 



Macro rhintis. 1 — Dentition as the last, but cheek-teeth of simpler 

 character, and all one-rooted. All the teeth, except the canines, 

 very small relatively to the size of the animal. Hind feet without 

 nails. Vertebras: C 7, D 15, L 5, S3, C 11. Nose of adult 

 male produced into a short tubular proboscis, ordinarily flaccid, 

 but capable of dilatation and elongation under excitement. One 

 species, M. leoninus, the Elephant Seal, or Sea- Elephant of the 

 whalers, the largest of the Avhole family, attaining the length of 

 nearly 20 feet. Formerly abundant in the Antarctic Seas, and 

 also found on the coast of California, 



Extinct Seals. — Remains of animals of this group have been 

 found in late Miocene and Pliocene strata in Europe and America, 

 the most abundant and best- preserved being those of the Pliocene 

 Antwerp Crag, the subject of an illustrated monograph by Van 

 Beneden. Nothing has, however, yet been discovered Avhich 

 throws any light upon the origin of the group, since all the extinct 

 forms at present known come within the definition of the existing 

 families ; and, though annectant forms between these occur, there 

 are as yet no transitions to a more generalised type of mammal. 

 Indeed, all those of which the characters are best known belong to 

 the completely developed Phocine or Trichechine, and not to the 

 Otariine, type. The typical genus Phoca occurs in the Antwerp 

 Crag, while remains of Seals provisionally referred to this genus 

 are found in the Pliocene of the Crimea and the Miocene of Malta 

 and Virginia. Of the other Antwerp forms Callophoca is said to 

 be allied to Phoca grcenlandica, Platyphoca to Phoca barbata, Phocanella 

 to Phoca foetida, Gryphoca to Halichcerus, Pakeophoca and Monatherium 

 to Monachus, and Mesotaria to Cystophora ; while Prophoca does not 

 appear to come very close to any existing form. It should be 

 observed that it is extremely doubtful whether all these fossil Seals 

 are really entitled to generic distinction. 



Bibliography of Pinnipedia. — J. A. Allen, History of North American 

 Pinnipeds, 1880; St. George Mivart, "Notes on the Pinnipedia," J'roc. Zool. Soc. 

 1885, p. 484 ; P. J. Van Beneden, Osscments fossiles a" Anvcrs, in the Jlt'm. Acad. 

 Roy. d. Belgique. 



Suborder Creodonta. 



The discovery of fossil remains in Eocene and early Miocene 



formations both in Europe and North America shows that numerous 



species of terrestrial carnivorous animals existed upon the earth 



during those periods which cannot be referred to either of the 



1 F. Cuvier, Mim. da Museum, vol. xi. p. 200 (1S24), " Macrorhine. " 



