PHOCDXJi 



PHOCID.E. 



904 





Teeth of Stenorhyrickui. 



of the latter are very meagre, though there is a very accurate descrip- 

 tion by Dr. Hamilton in the ' Naturalist's Library' (' Mammalia,' 

 vol viiL). It has been observed in the South Shetland*. 



fra-Lrojiud 



'. Cuv.). Muzxle enlarged and elongated at its extremity ; 

 i very much arched ; upper incisors notched transversely at 

 their extremity ; lower ones simple ; molars thick and conical, having 



before and behind small rudimentary points only. 



Dental formula : Incisors, - ; Canines, ; Molars, = 32. 

 4 1 1 6 6 



f. IfonocAiu; PKixa Monachut, Herm. ; Phoque a Veutre Blanc of 

 the French, the Monk Seal Hair short, smooth, and shining; dark- 

 brown, mixed with gray on the neck and head, above ; white below. 

 Ko aternal ear. WbUkers smooth and strong. Length from 7 to 10 

 or 13 feel 



It is a native of the Adriatic ; coasts of Sardinia, 



This appears to b, the Pkoca bicolor of Shaw, and P. Uucoyaiter of 

 PtVoo. It i* the .pecie. which afforded Baffin and F. Cuvier their 

 interesting description!, and is supposed to be that whose skin was 

 always carried every where (semper et nbique) by the emperor Augustus 

 a* a protection against lightning. (Suet., Octav. Aug.,' 90.) The 

 Itottans generally seem to have considered seal-skin* in the same light. 

 Iliny, in his chapter beaded Qua non feriantur fnlmine, 1 ays, " Ideo 

 pavidi altiorw specus tutiimos puUnt : aut Ubemacula e pellibus 

 btlluarnm, qua* vilnloi nun not appellant, quoniam hoc solum animal 

 ex marinis non perculut" (' Hut. Nat,' it 65.) 



Kttmmnit.jnu (F. CUT.). Head surmounted by a peculiar organ 

 (whence the name of the genus), the nature of wbic h is not well known 



Molars with simple roots, short and wide, and striated only on their 

 crown ; muzzle narrow and obtuse. 



Skull of Sttmmaloput. 



S. ci-ittaliif ; Phoca crittata, Gmel. ; P. leonina, Fabr. It is remark- 

 able for possessing, about two inches from the extremity of the upper 

 jaw, on the superior surface, a cartilaginous crest, which rises, increas- 

 ing rapidly in height as it passes backwards, about 7 inches high at 

 its posterior or vertical edge, which is separated into two planes by an 

 intervening depreasion an inch deep. The superior edge is slightly 

 convex, and the whole structure is an elongation of the septum of 

 the nose, the true nostrils opening on each side of it by an oblong 

 figure. This crest runs into the hood or sac-like appendage of the 

 head. This hood is strongly muscular, with an aggregation of circular 

 fibres round its external orifices, which are two, situated at the lower 

 anterior part of the head. The females and young have the crest in a 

 very rudimentary state. The length of this species is 8 feet 



Dental Formula : Incisors, - ; Canine*, l ; Molars, ?Z* 

 2 1 1 5 5 



30 



rc.th ,..- n M , ,.. 



It is found on the coasts of Greenland and of North America down 

 to the United States. 



This specie*, which especially haunts the open aea, is said to visit 

 the land in April, May, and June chiefly. They are found for the most 

 part on large ice-islands, where they sleep without precaution : and 

 occur in great numbers in Davis's Straits, where they are stated to 

 make two voyages a year, in September and March. They depart to 

 bring forth their young, and return in June very lean and exhausted. 

 In July they proceed again to the north, where they appear to procure 

 plenty of food, for they return in high condition in September. The 

 Crested Seal is said to be polygamous, and to have its young on the 

 ice. Its bite is formidable, and its voice is stated to resemble the bark 

 and whine of a dog. When surprised by the hunter it weeps copiously. 

 Among themselves they have fierce encounters, and inflict deep wounds 

 in the conflicts with their claws and teeth. 



It is one of the species most generally pursued, and together with 

 the Rough Seal (Calocciihaliu hitjndui), furnishes the greatest number 

 of skins brought to Great Britain. The natives clothe their women 

 with the skins of the young, and cover their boats and bouses with 

 the skins of the old ones. They bead their hunting-spears with the 

 teeth, and blow up the stomachs into fishing-buoys. 



