126 SEAL GROUP, OR PHOCIDJ3. 



the Paris Museum in relation to this group, he 

 found that there was distinct evidence of three spe- 

 cies or varieties having been confounded as the 

 Common Seal ; but neither he 'nor any other of the 

 French Naturalists succeeded, at that time, in de- 

 tecting very clear or satisfactory specific characters. 



The peculiar characters of the Proper Phocae are, 

 that their feet are enveloped in the integuments, so 

 becoming swimming paws ; the anterior are very 

 short, and the posterior much in the same line with 

 the body ; they have no external ears ; the incisors 

 vary from six to four in the upper jaw, and from 

 four to two in the lower ; they are simply cutting ; 

 the molars have generally many small lobes or cut- 

 ting points ; the toes of the feet are webbed, and 

 terminated by sharp claws. 



GENUS CALOCEPHALUS, OR FINE SHAPED 

 HEADED SEALS. 



The name of this genus was selected on account of the great 

 size of the cranium, and the shortness of the snout. The brain 

 is scarcely inferior in size to that of the best organized monkeys, 

 and hence they are easily tamed. Their dental formulary is 



The grinders are formed of a large point in the middle, with 

 a smaller one anteriorly, and two posteriorly ; the nostrils do not 

 extend beyond the mouth ; the mammae of the female are four 

 it has sometimes been stated two. 



