PHII.OMELINA 



PHOCID.tf. 



dirty or myish whiU; lateral prU of the neck, breast, and flanks, 

 gray ; bill and Un light brown. SUM alike. 



The Nightingale shuns observation, abiding in the thickest coverts, 

 and in thus Uw nest u sometimes placed on a low fork, but generally 

 on the ground. Withered leaves, particularly thoM of the oak, very 

 loosely conjoined with dried benU and ruahea, and lined internally 

 with fine root-fibres, form the structure. The eggs, of an olive-brown, 

 are four or fir* in number. After the young are hatched, generally iu 

 Jon*, the melodiou* tong of the mala crate*, and U suooeedrd by a 

 low croak. Tmried occasionally with a snapping noie; the first is 

 eootidered to be meant for a warning, and the but ai a defiance. The 

 food uonsiets of insects, such ai fliea and spiders, moth* and earwig*. 

 Ureea caterpillars were the food brought by the parent bird* to the 

 not of young nightingale* taken by Colonrl Montagu. It U not 

 improbable that the bird's choice of localities is in some measure 

 determined by the absence or presence of some favourite insect food. 



Then U another European Nightingale (the Thru.h Nightingale, 

 PkilfmtU Turdoida of Birth, Zwctnia major of Brisson, Sylvia 

 PkUomila of Bechstein) inhabiting central Europe. The song of this 

 species U loud, but far inferior to that of the true Nightingale. It 

 is said to be common in Egypt 



PHILOMELI'X.*:. [STLVUDJL] 



FHILO'SCIA. flwpoDA.] 



PHILYDRACE& Waltruorlt, a natural order of Endogenous 

 Plant*, con*titutrd by Brown to receive the genera Philydrum and 

 /TetoruL They are allied, according to Lindley, to Commdinacece, 

 UrtMdatm. and Xyridacta. The species are grassy-looking plants, 

 with dipetalom flower*, no calyx, three stamens, of which two are 

 abortive, and an embryo in the axis of fleshy albumen ; they have 

 erect stems, and eniform leaves. They are found in Australia, 

 Cochin China, and China. (Lindley, Vegetable Kingdom.) 



PHl'LYKA, a genu* of Cnulacea. [OlTSTOMA.] 



PHLKBO'PTERIS, a genus of Fossil Ferns, from the Oolite of 

 Yorkshire. (Brongniart) 



PHLEGM, a common name for Mucus. [Mecca.] 



PHLECM, a genus of Praises, contains, among many unimportant 

 species, one of considerable agricultural value. This, the P. prataue, 

 Meadow Oat's-Tail Onus, U a general inhabitant of the moat fertile 

 pastures, and is regarded as a sign of rich soil. It bears its flowers in 

 a long cylindrical soft head, and is extremely like the Meadow Fox- 

 Tail [ALOPICURUS] in appearance, from which it differs in having 

 unequal glumes, and two palex instead of one. This plant is very 

 productive, especially in the early spring, and is a very general com- 

 ponent of hay. Nevertheless, according to Mr. Low, it is not a pecu- 

 liarly good hay-grass, from the wiryneas of its stem and the shortness 

 of iu aftermath. It is of the greatest use when the object is to 

 procure a sward of permanent herbage. [QRAMINACE&] 



PHLCEOMY& [Mi-Rio*.] 



PHOCA. [PnociD*.] 



PHOCjfi'NA. rCETACEA.1 



PHu'CID.-K, a family of Marina Carnivorous Mammalia, including 

 the animals called Seals. 



The Amphibious Carni'roro of Cuvier form a perfectly natural 

 group. Their feet are so short and enveloped in the skin that they 

 are not available for any purpose on land, except a kind of creeping ; 

 and indeed terrestrial progression u affected by means of a sort of 

 shuffling jumping motion, in which the spine and the muscles of the 

 body are principally employed, though the extremities are used in 

 getting or rather climbing out of the water upon a rock or other 

 projecting body. The webbed intervals of the toes, which last are 

 completely enveloped in membranes that leave a considerable power 

 of expansion to the extremity, serve as excellent oars, and these 

 animals therefore pass the greatest part of their life in the sea, coming 

 on shore only to bask and sleep in the sun, and suckle their young 

 Cuvier remarks that their elongated body, their very moveable 



spin*, provided with muscle* which put it in action with powerful 

 flexibility, their narrow pelvis, their close thick fur, all unite to make 

 them good swimmer*, and the detail* of their anatomy confirm the 

 impression produced by their external form. (' Regne Animal.') 



Two genera only, taking the term genus in its most comprehensive 

 MM, belonging to this group, have as yet been discovered the Seals 

 (ttoco, Linn.), and the Walrus or Morse (Triciucina, Linn.). 



In the structure of their skull the Seals closely approach the Otter. 

 If th kull of the Common Seal (Pkoca riiulina) be compared with 

 that of an otter, a great resemblance will be found to exist between 

 them in the ahortnee* of the muzzle, the compression of the iuterorbital 

 region (which is greater in the Heal), the width and flatness of the 

 cranium, and especially of the whole region of it* base or under part, 

 with the exception of the tympanic portions, which are large and 

 convex. The orbit is very largo in the Seal, and the frontal bone does 

 not complete it backwards by a postorbital apopbysis, nor ia it ditin- 

 fuibed from the temporal bone, except by the convexity of the last- 

 named portion of the skull. The temporal crents are but little 

 marked, and the occipital crest is insensible. The frontal bone does 

 not form in front that triannular enlargement, the traces of which are 

 still to be found in the Otter ; but the postorbital apophysi* of the 

 zygomatic arch ia very strongly marked, and the jugal and temporal 

 boos* equally contribute to form it The intermaxillary bones termi- 



nate near the nasal, without reaching to them ; their suture below 

 traverses the palate opposite the canine*, and even in the middle 

 opposite to the first molars. The bones of the cranium are thin, and 

 there are no frontal sinuses. 



The skull of the Monk-Seal (Pkoca Monachut, Herm.) presents, 

 independently of its size, some rather striking differences when com- 

 pared with that of the P. ritiUina, The zygomatic arches are more 

 open and robust in the former; the anterior region of the frontal bone 

 is convex ; a very marked sagittal crest commences on the middle of 

 the orbits and proceeds to join an occipital crest a* strongly marked, 

 which notches the back part of the cranium with a re-entering angle. 

 There is also a notch at the posterior border of the palate, and the 

 intermaxillary bones are very distinctly articulated to the nasal On 

 the anterior border of the orbit is a projecting point formed by the 

 maxillary bone ; and on obtuse longitudinal crest projects under the 

 basilary region. In the upper jaw there are only four pointed molars, 

 the external ones being very slightly the largest; below there are 

 four, also smaller ; altogether five molars on each side of each jaw, 

 leas trenchant, and with lateral points much leu marked than in 

 P. 



, 



Skull of Monk.Seul (Phora Jtonachut), ma from above. 



Sku'.l of Monk-Seal, *ecn from below. 



Bkml of Monk-Seal (profile). 



The shoulder-blade of the Seal (Cuvier takes the last-named species 

 as the principal type) widens very much from before backwards ; its 

 antespmal foua U much wider than the other; the anterior border in 

 very convex, and the anterior angle is lost in this convexity. The 

 posterior edge is slightly concave, and the posterior angle rather sharp ; 

 the spine projects but little, and is terminated by a small depressed 

 acromion, which does not advance so far as the edge of the articular 

 surface. The acromial tuberosity is almost obsolete. In /". rilulina 

 and P. milrata, the antespinal fossa and the shoulder-blade together 

 are much smaller, and there can hardly be said to be an anterior angle. 

 In Olaria, on the contrary, the antespinal fossa ia still wider iu pro- 

 portion than in /'. Monachut ; it ia divided longitudinally by a ridge 

 lest elevated than the spine and without an acromion. The humerus 

 is remarkable for it* relative brevity, and for the great projection of 



