TECHNICAL HISTORY - SPECIES. 459 



1848 PEALE, Halichcerus antarcticus = Phoca vitulina. 



1849 GRAY, Cystophora antillarum = ? 



185 Q _ Q RAY < Phoca tropicalis = Monachus tropicalis. 



" " i Callocephalus dimidiatus (Schlegel MS.) =? 



c HalichdRrus macrorhynchus = H. grypus. 

 L850-HORNSCHUCH& SCHILLING. \ Halich(Krus pachyrhynchu8==Il . grypns. 



1854 GRAY, Heliophoca atlantica = Monachus albiventer. 

 1864 GRAY, Halicyon richardsi Phoca vitulina. 



f Macrorhinus angustirostris=Macrorhinus angus- 

 1866 GILL .......... ) tirostris. 



( Phoca pealei Phoca vitulina. 

 1866 GRAY, Halicyon californica Phoca vitulina. 

 1873 DYBOWSKI, Phoca baicalensis = Phoca sibirica. 



1875-PETERS ........... Macrorhillusleoniims . 



( Cystophora Jcerguelensis y 



One hundred and three distinct specific and varietal names 

 have thus been bestowed upon sixteen species, leaving eighty- 

 seven of the names as synonyms, an average of about six to a 

 species. Fourteen names appear to be wholly indeterminable, 

 while fourteen others can be referred only with more or less 

 doubt. Of the fifty-nine remaining synonyms, about the identi- 

 fication of which there can be but little doubt, Phoca vitulina 

 and Phoca foetida have each eleven ; Phoca grcenlandica has eight, 

 &nd.Hacrorhinus leoninusnme', Halichosrus grypus and Cystophora 

 cristata have each six; Nonachus albiventer has five; and JErig- 

 nathus barbatus seven. Five other species have each one, and 

 three (Phoca caspica, Macrorhinus angustirostris, and Ommato- 

 phoca rossi) are apparently without synonyms. 



The above summary is exclusive of the generic changes that 

 have been rung on these sixteen species. Eegarding each dif- 

 ferent generic combination as a synonym, would raise the total 

 number of distinct names to probably nearly four hundred, or 

 an average of at least twenty to each species, with a maximum 

 for some of the species of at least thirty. 



It may be further observed that Lesson has the unenviable 

 distinction of having added thirteen (nearly one-fourth) of the 

 fifty-nine identifiable synonyms, and only one valid species and 

 one tenable specific name out of a total of the fourteen specific 

 names for which he is responsible. Pallas comes next with seven 

 specific names, only four of which are identifiable, and none of 

 them tenable. Next follows Gray with ten, covering two and 

 possibly three new species, and three unidentifiable ones, with 

 the result of seven and probably eight synonyms. 



In respect to the general subject, it may be noted that there 



