420 FAMILY PHOCIDJS 



(Stenorhynchus and Leptonyx) were preoccupied in other de- 

 partments of zoology, and consequently untenable ; ten were- 

 exclusively based on four species,, so that six of these ten may 

 be set down as pure synonyms. The remaining thirteen have 

 at times been more "or less current, either in a generic or sub- 

 generic sense. But leading writers have employed several of 

 them with widely differing scopes. Callocephalus, as at first 

 used, was synonymous with Phoca, as commonly interpreted, Cal- 

 locephalus being employed for all of the smaller species of the 

 family (mtulina, fostida, grcenlandica, fasciata, caspica, &c, with 

 all their numerous synonyms, as well as for barbata). In the 

 subjoined history of the species of the family, the varying sig- 

 nificance attached by different writers to the more prominent 

 generic names will become sufficiently apparent, but in the pres- 

 ent connection a few examples may be cited. 



In 1820, Desrnarest placed all the Pinnipeds, except the 

 Walruses, under Phoca, which he divided into two subgenera 

 ("sous-genre") Phoca (including all the Phocidce of recent au- 

 thors) and Otaria ( = 0tariidce of late writers), in this following 

 Peron's classification of 1816. F. Cuvier, in 1824, divided the 

 Earless Seals into five genera, which classification was followed 

 by the same writer in 182G, and by Lesson in 1827, when he 

 adopted strictly the generic nomenclature of F. Cuvier, but 

 abandoned it in 1828. Gray, at about the same date, employed 

 only two genera, Phoca and Mirounga, while Fischer, in 1829, 

 placed all the species once more in Phoca. 



Nilsson, in 1837, recognized five genera, Stenorhynchus , Pela- 

 gius, Phoca, Halichcerus, and Cystophora. Gray, in 1844 and in 

 1850, adopted ten, Lobodon, Leptonyx, Ommatophoca, Steno- 

 rhynchus, Pelagius, Callocephalus, Pagophilus, Phoca (with one 

 species), Halichoerus, Morunga, and Cystophora. Wagner, in 

 184G, adopted four, Halichcerus, Phoca (with six species), Lep- 

 tonyx (with five species), and Cystophora. Turner, in 1849, ad- 

 mitted eight, Morunga, Cystophora, Halichcerus, Ommatophora 

 ^typographical error for Ommatophoca), Lobodon, Leptonyx, Sten- 

 rhynchus, and Phoca. Giebel, in 1855, adopted the same genera 

 as Wagner in 1846. Gray, in 1866 and in 1871, admitted thir- 

 teen, Lobodon, Leptonyx, Ommatoplioca, Stenorhynchus , Mona- 

 chus. Call 1 icephalus, Pagomys, Pagopliilus, HaUcyon, Phoca, Hali- 

 choerus, Morunga^SLiid Cystopliora; Gill, in 1866 and 1872, twelve, 

 Phoca, PagomySj Pagophilus^ Erignathus, Halicliwrus, Monaclius, 

 Cystopliora, Macrorhinus, Lobodon, Stenorhynchus , Leptonyx, and 

 Ommatophoca ; in 1877, twelve, Phoca, Pagophilufi, 



