THE SEAL GROUP, OR PHOCHXE. 



" L'histoire des phoques est mme aujourd' hui extremeaient 

 erabrouillee; un grand norabre d'especes sont encore % connoi- 

 tre." LESSON. 



I. THE PROPER SEALS, OR PHOCJE. 



IN proceeding to the Seal group, or Phocidae, as it 

 has been called the Phocacese of French writers 

 we shall consider first the Earless Seals, or Proper 

 PhoccB, the InauriculatcB of Peron. The time is not 

 very distant, as explained on p. 98, when the whole of 

 the Phocce were grouped as one genus ; but latterly, 

 M. F. Cuvier and the French Naturalists have di- 

 vided them into seven distinct genera, and Professor 

 Nilsson, by establishing another, has made the 

 number eight. Of these, six belong to the Proper 

 Phocce, and two to the Eared Seals, or Otaries. 

 From the total want of classification which so 

 long prevailed, it naturally happened that, in what- 

 ever country a Seal was seen, it was regarded 

 as the Common Seal, the Vitulina of Naturalists ; 



