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THE SCOTTISH NATURALIST. 



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VOLUME THE SECOND. * -*••-»- ^Y£, 



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ZOOLOGY. 



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ON THE OCCURRENCE OF THE HOODED SEAL ( CYSTO- 

 PHORA CRISTA TA) AT ST. ANDREWS. 



By ROBERT WALKER, F.G.S.E. 



'T^HIS species of seal is rarely met with in the British or Irish 

 seas; and althougrrone that is not difficult to identify when 

 found, still from the few opportunities that present themselves to 

 competent persons of examining living or recently killed speci- 

 mens, it is apparently by no means so well known as it deserves to 

 be. Besides, from the general resemblance in shape and exter- 

 nal aspect that all seals bear to each other, it could, in its 

 immature state, be readily enough passed over as the young of 

 the Common, or more especially the Grey Seal, as it not un- 

 likely has been, and even by those, perhaps, who consider 

 themselves not unfamiliar with the general appearance of these 

 animals. I therefore propose to describe this individual at 

 greater length than would have been at all necessary in the 

 case of an animal of more frequent occurrence. 



This seal was found opposite St. Andrews, on the 2 2d July, 

 1872. When discovered, it was reposing, near low-water mark, 

 on the top of one of the ledges of rock that stretch out 



