762 



ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY BULLETIN. 



THEIR DARK EYES SEEM TO SHINE WITH INTELLIGENCE. 



The California species was not described un- 

 til 1866 (Gill, Proc. Essex Inst. V, 13 and 

 Prpc. Chicago Acad. Sci. I, 33), and it is so 

 closely related to the southern elephant seal, 

 (Macrorhinus leonina, Linnaeus), that it is re- 

 garded by some as merely a variety. Among 

 the other Pinnipedia the elephant seal is related 

 most nearly to the hooded seal (genus Cysto- 

 phora). 



This is not the first time that the California 

 elephant seal has been kept in captivity. Town- 

 send reports that in the year 1882 six young 

 specimens were taken alive to San Francisco, but 

 he was not able to find out anything further con- 

 cerning them. On May 20, 1883, five young of 



this species were received at the Philadelphia 

 Zoological Gardens, where they lived for a 

 short time, but aside from the fact that they 

 came from Lower California no other data is 

 available. Since that time, however, none ap- 

 pears to have been captured. 



In the Aquarium the young elephant seals 

 have from the first shown no indication of fear. 

 They will come to the side of the pool and take 

 food from the hand of their attendant without 

 any hesitation, and do not appear to be treach- 

 erous as are the fur-seals and sea-lions. Their 

 large, dark eyes seem fairly to shine with intelli- 

 gence, and they remind one of overgrown pup- 

 pies in their gentle behavior, round, sleek bodies 

 and clumsy attempts at play. 



