THE ORDINARY SEALS— SADDLE-BACK. 



279 



parts, the under portion being of a dull, russet, sil- 

 ver-gray tint; and the chocolate colored, or blackish- 

 brown face, including forehead, cheeks and muzzle, 

 and the markings of the back, stand out in bold 

 relief against this hue. These markings are more 

 or less sharply defined and of oblong, horseshoe or 

 lyre shape. Some individuals of the species show 

 the saddle narrow like a ribbon, others have it per- 

 ceptibly wider. The female is smaller and its color- 

 ing differs from that of the male to such an extent 

 that it has been considered and described as a distinct 

 species by some writers. The snow white fur of the 

 cubs gradually merges into the tint of their parents 

 during the lapse of several years. 



The Saddle-Back is confined to the highest lati- 

 tudes of the north, though its range perhaps extends 

 through the Straits of Behring into the northern 



Adult males attain a length of from ninety-two to 

 one hundred inches; the females lack the hood and 

 are of perceptibly smaller dimensions. 



Of the Seals of the northern Arctic Ocean the 

 Crested Seal seems to have a very limited range and 

 occurs in small numbers. According to Fabricius, 

 it is most frequent off the coasts of Greenland and 

 Newfoundland, less so on the western coast of Ice- 

 land and a rare visitor, probably only when it has 

 lost its way, farther south. 



According to the accounts of many writers this 

 species is one of the most courageous and pugna- 

 cious of Seals, and hunting it is not devoid of danger. 

 When it lies on the ice in comfortable repose, it 

 produces the impression of utter indifference to all 

 surroundings, and the far-off look of its large, black 

 eye seems rather dull; neither does it attack any 



.A>«.-!WieA' 





THE SADDLE-BACK SEAL. This member of the Seal family is found m the Arctic latitudes extending as far north ya. the circum- 



polar regions as explorers have yet penetrated. It gets its name " Saddle-Back " from the large patch of white fur on its upper surface, which is 

 in bold contrast to the brownish-black fur surrounding it. The somewhat narrow head is also a distinguishing feature. The animals in the 

 picture are comfortably resting on a great ice-floe. This species is also known by the names of "Harp Seal" and " Greenland Seal." (Phoca 

 greenlandica.) 



Pacific. Single specimens have repeatedly been ob- 

 served on the coasts of Lapland and Norway, and 

 even of Great Britain 'and Germany. 



The Crested or As a representative of the Hooded 

 Bladder-Nose Seals we will consider the Crested 

 Seal. or Bladder- Nose Seal {^Cystophora 



cristata,) one of the largest Seals of the Arctic Ocean, 

 distinguished above all other things by a bladder 

 which extends over the nose, the whole upper par*-, 

 of the muzzle and nearly the entire upper surface of 

 the head, and which may be distended with air or 

 emptied at will. When filled with air it forms a bag 

 ten inches long and eight inches high and looks like 

 a cap drawn over the front part of the head; when 

 closed it may be compared to a keel dividing the 

 nose into two parts. The head is large, the muzzle 

 is thick and blunt, the body resembles that of all 

 •other Seals. Old and young are of different color, 

 but the hue is not affected by sex. The fur consists 

 ■of a long outer coat and a close woolly inner fur, the 

 upper part as a rule being of a dark nut-brown or 

 black tint, diversified with large or small circular 

 spots of still deeper color; the under surface is of 

 a dark gray or rusty silver-gray, devoid of spots. 



living being unprovoked, but it is easily excited and 

 then prone to offer resistance. 



Characteristics The Elephant Seal {Macrorhinus 

 of the leoninus) resembles the other Seals 



Elephant Seal, in respect to its general s"hape but 

 is superior to all in size; the length at least of those 

 of the Californian coast has been found to be a little 

 more than twenty-two feet, though the average 

 length is about fifteen feet. The female attains 

 about half this length, but not even a third of the 

 weight, old males being estimated ta weigh mgre 

 than six thousand pounds. The head is large, wide 

 and elongated, the muzzle of moderate length, toler- 

 ably broad, slightly tapering in front and truncated 

 in a nearly vertical direction; the upper lip is grown 

 with stout, dark brown whisker hairs, sometimes six 

 inches long; the eye is relatively large, round like a 

 ball, and protuberant; the exceedingly small ear is, 

 properly speaking, only a roundish hole, which is 

 not even surrounded by a ridge of the skin. The, 

 nose differs materially according to the sex. While 

 this significant organ shows no unusual development 

 in the female, it is in the male prolonged into a pro- 

 boscis, beginning at the corner of the mouth and 



