27 



But when roused into anger in the defence of their young, or on 

 being goaded with wounds, they then become formidable and dangerous 

 enemies. Many interesting anecdotes are related of their strength and 

 ferocity under these circumstances, but Captain Cook's short and 

 expressive narative of their habits must for the present suffice. " The 

 female will defend her young one to the very last, and at the expense 

 of her own life, whether in the water or on the ice ; nor will the young 

 one quit the dam, though she be dead ; so that if you kill one, you are 

 sure of the other." Again, " the female in particular, whose young 

 had been destroyed and taken into the boat became so enraged, that 

 she attacked the cutter and stuck her tusks through the bottom of it." 



The flesh is highly valued, and greedily eaten by the natives ; the 

 skin being thick and tough, is useful for many purposes ; in ancient 

 times, when cut into strips and plaited, it formed the ropes and cables for 

 the vessels of northern countries, and the finer portions made into lines, 

 were used for the capture of whales. In modern times the skins are sent to 

 America and England, and manufactured into carriage, traces and other 

 harness, or rendered down into glue ; the oil, although not abundant, is 

 superior in quality ; but the teeth constitute the most valuable product 

 of this animal, for the ivory being of a beautiful texture, and capable of 

 retaining its whiteness, is extensively used by the Chinese, for the 

 wonderful knick-knacks and other curiosities they prpduce from the 

 lathe and by Europeans, for the supply of artificial teeth, and many 

 kinds of ornamental work dependent on these properties. 



Family III. CYSTOPHORID^l. 1 



SEA ELEPHANT : HOODED SEAL. 



Incisors U canines jpf, molars 5 30. 



Outer incisors large, formed like the canines ; molars with small 

 compressed crowns and greatly swollen single roots ; head short, broad ; 

 muzzle of the males furnished with a dilatable bladder-like appendage ; 

 whiskers, long, thickish, waved, obtuse at their tips ; nostrils large ; 

 eyes large, prominent ; nails elongated, pointed, obsolete in the hinder 

 feet of the macrorhinus ; tail very short. The animals during pro- 

 gression on land move principally by means of the abdominal muscles 

 and extremely flexible spine, assisted materially by their flippers. In 

 repose the hind limbs are stretched backwards in a line with the body. 



In habits polygamous and gregarious. 



Genus MACRORHINTTS, F. Cuvier. Sea Elephants. 

 Ther adult males possess the power of elongating the nose into a 

 tubular proboscis, resembling somewhat the proboscis of the elephant. 

 In the female this dilatable appendage is undeveloped. Forehead, 



, a bladder, and 4>epo> I bear. The generic name Cystophora is likewise 

 applied to the species of a marine plant, allied to the gulf- weed. 



