94 An account of the Phoca cristata. 



An Account of the Phoca cristata, recently taken in the 

 vicinity of this city. By James E. Dekay, M. D. Read 

 March 1, 1824. 



An animal of the genus Phoca is now exhibiting in this 

 place, under the absurd name of Sea Elephant. As every 

 thing connected with the history of this obscure genus is in- 

 teresting to the naturalist, I have examined the animal, and 

 drawn up the following description : 



Length of the (whole) animal, from the symphysis of the 

 lower jaw to the root of the tail, seven feet. Body cylindri- 

 cal, tapering gradually to the tail, and covered with flattened 

 hairs about an inch in length. Colour gray and dark brown, 

 distributed in irregular patches. The grayish appearance is 

 produced by very short hairs beneath the white. On the ab- 

 domen the gray predominates. The extremities are of an 

 uniform blackish brown. Head small in proportion to the 

 body, but furnished with a peculiar appendage, which, when 

 dilated to its full extent, more than equals the head itself in 

 size. This appendage, which is termed a hood, is a movea- 

 ble muscular bag, capable of great dilatation, extending from 

 the rostrum to about five inches behind the eyes, and in cer- 

 tain positions, nearly covering the internal canthi. It is twelve 

 inches in extent from the nostrils to its posterior part, and nine 

 inches in height. Externally it is of a bright brown, covered 

 with short hairs, and exhibits many slight transverse ruga?. 

 At its juncture with the integuments behind, a few strong hairs 

 are observed, which may be considered as appertaining to the 

 eyes, similar to other animals of this genus. The nostrils are 

 round, each two inches in diameter, and placed in the ante- 

 rior part of the hood. Through these the foreign substances 

 employed in distending the hood for exhibition wore intro- 

 duced. When the hood is not distended, the cartilaginous 



