454 



FAMILY PHOCIDJE. 



This is the largest number, both of species and genera, recog- 

 nized by one author since Lesson, who, in 1827, gave the same 

 number of species but only six genera. Of these nineteen 

 species, doubtless five (antillarum, dimidiatus, largha, richardsi, 

 and californica) are nominal, leaving fourteen that are valid, or 

 an average of one to each genus ! One of the genera, however, 

 (Halicyon) is based on a nominal species ; the second species 

 (CystopJiora antillarum) of the only genus which contains two, 

 may be regarded as doubtful (see posted,, under the general 

 history of Monachus f tropicalis). Compared with the same 

 author's revision made in 1850 (see anted,, p. 451) there is an 

 increase of three genera and one species; only one "new spe- 

 cies" (californica) being here added. This the author seems to 

 have again recognized only once,* remarking that he considers 

 Gill's Phoca pealei as identical with his " Halicyon ? californica". 



In the same year (1866) Dr. Theodore Gill published his 

 " Prodrome of a Monograph of the Pinnipedes ",t in which he pro- 

 posed one new generic name (Erignatlms = Phoca, Gray), and 

 introduced one new specific name by renaming Peale's Halt- 

 cJicerus antarcticus, Phoca pealei. As regards this species, he 

 found that the type specimen, through the misplacement of a 

 label, was wrongly assigned a habitat in the Antarctic Seas, 

 whereas it undoubtedly came irom the Pacific coast of North 

 America, thereby rendering the name antarcticus undesirable 

 as perpetuating a grave error. He furthermore found that the 

 species had nothing to do with the genus HalicJicerus, but was 

 a true Phoca. The paper introduced several important changes 

 from the Grayian nomenclature, particularly in substituting 

 Phoca for Callocephalus, Erignafhus for Phoca, and Macrorhinns 

 for Morunga, although, as above stated, only one new generic 

 name was introduced. Diagnoses are given of the genera, and 

 lists of the species found respectively on the east and west 

 coasts of North America. The species of North American 

 Phocidw given are the following : 



"Eastern North America." " California, Oregon, $c." 



1. Phoca vitulina, Linn. 



2. Pagomys foetidus, Gray. 



3. Pagophilus grcenlandicus, Gray. 



4. Erignatlms barbatus, Gill. 



5. Halichcerus grypns, Nilss. 



6. Cystophora cristata, Miss. 



1. Phoca richardsi, Gill ex Gray. 



2. Phoca pealei, Gill. 



3. Macrorhinus angustirostris,. 



Gill. 



* Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist., 3d series, vol. xvii, 1866, p. 446. 

 tProc. Essex Inst., vol. v, 1866, pp. 3-13. 



