neighbouring masses of ice, and as soon as the Seals have left the deep, and lie down to bask on the ice, they pull the planks over the hole, by means of the rope, and so prevent their return. They then despatch their victims.*

A young Seal, taken on the West coast of Normandy, and brought to Paris, was suspected by Baron Cuvier to be a whelp of this species, and M. F. Cuvier has arranged it as such. Though we have great doubt of the accuracy of these conjectures, we here supply the interesting remarks of the latter gentleman. Its length was two feet nine inches. It was of a yellowish-grey colour. "I had," says M. F. Cuvier, "this animal under my care for a considerable time, and it was easily tamed. When it was teased it puffed like a cat, and when much irritated it barked feebly. It never attempted to bite in self-defence, but scratched with its nails. It never ate except when under water; its nourishment was the fish of the ocean, and we could never get it to take those of fresh water. He was peculiarly attached to the old woman who had care of him. He soon came to recognise her at the greatest distance it was possible for him to espy her; he kept his eye upon her so long as she was in sight, and ran to her as soon as she approached his enclosure. It may be suspected that hunger augmented his apparent affection and it was probably the cravings of that appe tite, and the attention he paid to every thing affecting

:

• See Voy. de Pallas, t. iv. 4to, 123.

t Dict. d'Hist. Nat. p. 545.

it, which led him to observe the place where his nourishment was kept, though sixty paces distant, and used for many other purposes. If he was free when his food was being brought to him, he ran and urgently solicited it by the motions of his head, and still more by the expression of his countenance."

Generic CharaCTERS.-Muzzle very deep, obliquely truncated; head very flat; molars of the upper jaw simple, those of the lower with an obsolete tubercle before and behind the principal one.

THE GREY SEAL.

Halichoerus Griseus.-NILSSON.

PLATE X.

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS.-Molars differ from those of the Vitulina in the absence, at least in most of them, of any small tubercle; the posterior margin of the palate is directly transverse; the palatal foramina on the palatal bones.

Halichoerus Griseus, Nils. Phoca Halichorus, Thieneman. Ph. Gryphus, Fab. Grey Seal, Bell.

BEFORE leaving the shores of the northern hemi

sphere, we shall introduce this Genus Halichorus, which has lately been established by Professor Nilsson. His work being still unpublished, we have not learnt his arrangement or division of the Genus; and our information has principally been obtained from Mr Bell's recent work, which is more especially confined to British species. Mr Ball of Dublin has supplied the principal information regarding this Seal, and we shall enrich our pages with several of his interesting observations. "When I was quite a child,” remarks Mr Ball, "I took much pleasure in watching Seals, from the coasts of Cork and Waterford, and early became impressed with an idea that I could distinguish at least four species. Some years ago, on stating my opinions to some Zoological friends, I was induced to set about collecting specimens and information from various parts of the coast. For a considerable time I procured only one species; and, finding this labelled in our museums as Phoca Vitulina, I took it for granted it was so, until I procured a cranium of a very different species from Sligo, which, upon examination, I found to be the true Ph. Vitulina. I then sought to ascertain to what species the former specimens belonged, and searched in vain. Failing to obtain information, I was induced to bring the matter before the British Association; when Professor Nilsson recognised the craniam I produced as those of the Seal described by him as the Halichorus Griseus.

"My observations on the habits of the animal do not altogether accord with those of the learned Pro

fessor, who stated that it was solitary in the Baltic, whilst here I have seen it often in small parties, and learned from fishermen that they have noticed as many as thirteen congregated on a rock.

"Colour, in the present instance, appears to be a character of little value; for, in the many specimens I have seen, I do not remember that any two were precisely alike. The very young females seem to be generally of a dull yellowish white, with rather long hair, which falls off in about a month or six weeks, and gives place to a shorter and more shining coat, variously blotched with grey: this is brighter at first, and gradually grows more dull, and the blotching more indistinct on the upper parts, as the animal advances in age; whilst in the breast and lower parts, the blotchings in some specimens show almost as distinctly as the spots of a leopard. From a peculiarity in the hair of the adult, it being considerably recurved, and as if its upper surface were scraped flat with a knife, the animal, when dry, and with its head turned towards the spectator, appears of a uniform silvery grey, whilst viewed in the opposite direction, it appears altogether of a sooty brown colour; the spots or blotches being only visible on a side view. The only male specimen I possess died young: it has long yellowish hair, slightly tinged with brownishblack on the back; it is black on the muzzle, chin, and cheeks, extending round the eyes, but not to the upper part of the nose; and the palms of the fore-paws are black.