The American Museum Journal 



VuL. XI Al'Ull.. I'.Hl Xu. 4. 



RARE ELEPHANT SEALS FOR THE MUSEUM 



HKMl.NDKHS OK A.\ KXTINCT MI 1. 11 ITDK, A LOST INDISTHV AND A LOST WEALTH 

 W UK II AH(;rF. for ADoITION ok THK PHLNCIPLK of tOXSKKVATION 



ON l-\l)ni;u-\ ■_*.") tlic (ioNcrnincnt steamer AII)jitross cjirrying an ex- 

 pedition c-oiiiman(l((l hy Dr. Charles H. Towiisend sailed from 

 San Dicyo for work in deep sea dredginj,^ and for a scientific 

 in\esti^ation of (iuadalupe Island, wliieh lies some two hundred and fifty 

 miles ott" the coast south of San Diego. On March (i the vessel was again 

 in i)ort at San Diego to send to the East lu'ws of the expedition's success, 

 and certain \alual)le freight. a< told in the f(!ll(iwing r.xtniet from Dr. 

 Townsend's letter: 



Our success at (luailalu])e Island was (juite hevond c.\i)ec1at ion. In aiidition 

 to work on the birds and jjlants and various land collections of the island, we cap- 

 tured alive six sea elei)hants for the New York Aquarium and the Zoological Park 

 and succeeded in gettinji four skins and two skel(>tons of adult sea e!ei)hants for the 

 American Museum. 



The three old males were monsters sixteen feet lonji, with piohoscis as long as 

 the head. We liaxc one skull two feet long. ^Ye wound up the yoimg seals in nets 

 so tightly that we could handle them like bales. The skins of the old bulls were 

 very heavy; each (jne flensed and .salted was packed in a full-sized barrel which it 

 completely fills and that without the skull. 



When all was i)acked and ready, then the work really began, for we had to get 

 our loads through a heavy surf to the shij). A single specimen made a load and the 

 ship lay more than a mile awa>-. We had four "upsets" but lost nothing. The 

 series of photojirajjlis which we obtained are the only ones of the spi'cies in (existence, 

 and there are none published of the .\ntarctic species that show large males. 



Tiie ship is taking on coal and we are off to-morrow [to Cedros Island], We came 

 back only on account of the six young sea elephants. The six cases of live seals go 

 by express; the seven barrels of skins and skeletons we are sendiiif: by freight. 



The elephant seal is a "true" seal (Phoridu'), idthoiigh in i)ret'ding 

 habits and in th<' fact that the males greatly exceed the females in size, it 

 resembles the sea lion and the fur seal as well as the walrus. There are two 

 species, a southern {Mdcrorhiiius l(()niuu.s) not found north of 'M)° south 

 latitude and a northern (M. (iiKjustirosfriN) not found south of 24° north 

 latitude. TIm- two forms dilfer little in habits or in .xteriuil features, the 

 classification being based on sktdl structtu'e. The long isolation of the 

 northern and southern forms woidd make them \aluable for the studv of 



