ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY BULLETIN. 



761 



IN THE AQUARIUM POOL THEIR MOVEMENTS APPEAR CLL.M^Y. BUT TIII-Y ARE POWERFUL SWIMMERS. 



tlu'ir iiioviiiients. ;ind the body can be bent more fish nses its tail, and the hinder jjortion of the 

 than double in any direction, owing to the great body is flexed from side to side. This move- 

 flexibility of the spinal column. ment makes their actions appear somewhat 

 The elephant seal takes its name from tlie clumsy in the small Aquarium pool, especially 

 fact that the adult male possesses an elongated ^^.j^^.^^ contrasted with tlie extremely graceful 



proboscis which attains a length equal to the ,. r ii ^ i i.-„i „„„ t^ fl„ 



1 '^ ' movements of tlie fur seals, wliicli apjiear to tly 



through the water l)y means of the fore flijiijers. 

 In the sea they must be powerful swimmers, for 

 they are stated by both Scammon and Townsend 

 to frequent only the region of the roughest 

 breakers. On land they crawl with great dif- 

 ficulty .'ind our s))ecimcns never make use of the 

 platform in their pool as do all our other s)3eeies 

 of seals. Thev are able to mount the platform 



remainder of the head. This snout is somewhat 

 protrusible. but when not elongated hangs in a 

 pendulous fashion over the mouth. The female 

 and young do not j^ossess the proboscis. In the 

 young males at the Aquarium it is just begiii- 

 uiug to develop and e;in be protruded only a 

 eou|>le of inches. 



The adult male is said to emit a dee)) roar 

 which can be heard for miles and the females jju); jt .seems to have no attractions for them and 

 and young males to bellow like bulls. Our they sleep as well as play and eat without leav- 

 young specimens, however, have very high- ing the water, 



l,it<lied voices, so that their notes often ap- ^j^^_ elephant seals are the largest of all the 



pro.uli a whistle, Pinnipedia, the adult males attaining a length 



In swimming, the fore flippers which are of more than twenty feet. There is a marked 

 small, ajjpear to be of little use exccjit in bal- sexual difference in size, .-is adult females at- 

 ancing. The hind flippers are used much as a tain a length of only ten or eleven feet. 



