December 5, 1884. 



SCIENCE 



515 



addition to its numerous and ever-changing 

 contractions, there was one rather constant 

 constriction about opposite the nostrils, in- 

 completely dividing it transversely into two 

 portions, the anterior of which, though dark in 

 color, much resembles a bladder, and explains 

 the vulgar epithet, 4 bladder-nose,' often ap- 

 plied to this species. A curious fact observed 

 was, that, during the alternate filling and emp- 

 tying of the sac, a noise was produced which 

 closely resembled that of bubbles of air rush- 

 ing into a bottle from which a liquid is being 

 poured. It was a loud, gurgling sound, audi- 

 ble at a distance of twenty -five metres or up- 

 wards. On approaching nearer, the animal 

 became furious. He inflated his ' hood ' to 

 such an extent that all traces of constriction 

 were obliterated, and, by a series of ugly tosses 

 of the head, kept it swinging from side to side. 

 During the ten daj's that followed, about 



Fig. 3. 



fifteen thousand seals were killed and hauled 

 aboard bj* the crew of the Proteus ; and I had 

 ample opportunities for observing their actions 

 both upon the ice and in the water. I there- 

 fore state, without fear of contradiction, that 

 it is utterly impossible for the animal to arrange 

 his head-gear in the manner shown in fig. 2, 

 or, for that matter, in any figure that I have 

 seen. 



The largest males which I killed measured 

 ten feet in total length (from tip of nose to 

 end of hind-flipper) , and eight feet in girth. I 

 think that they do not attain their full growth 

 until ten or twelve }'ears of age. In the largest 

 individual measured the uninflated proboscis 

 extended two hundred and twenty-five milli- 

 metres (nearly nine inches) in front of the 

 upper lip. The height of the proboscis mid- 

 way between the nostrils and tip was two hun- 

 dred and thirty millimetres ; height at mouth, 

 three hundred and twenty millimetres. This 

 curious development is purely a sexual char- 

 acter, no trace of it existing in the female. It 



begins to appear in the third year, when, by 

 passing the fingers into the nostrils, it may be 

 detected as a small sac at the extreme end of 

 the nose, divided longitudinally by the nasal 



Fig. 4. 



septum into two distinct chambers, which 

 remain distinct throughout the animal's life. 

 So far as I was able to ascertain from the ex- 

 amination of a very large number of individ- 

 uals, it continues to grow for ten or twelve 

 years. 



Dissection of the proboscis, when in the adult 

 condition, shows it to be a loose muscular bag, 

 covered with the skin of the nose, and lined 

 with a continuation of the nasal mucous mem- 

 brane. It is completely divided for its entire 

 length into two parallel chambers by a thin 

 partition, which consists chiefly of two layers 

 of mucous membrane, and is continuous with 

 the nasal septum. The nostrils (fig. 4) are 

 capable of closure by the contraction of mus- 

 cular fibres, which are so arranged as to act as 

 sphincters. To prevent interference in breath- 

 ing by the falling together of the walls of this 



Fig. 6. 



redundant bag, the roof of the proboscis is 

 supported by three large and stout cartilages, 

 — one median and two lateral (fig. 5). The 

 median or septal cartilage, which is a continu- 



