276 THE SCOTTISH NATURALIST 



OBITUARY. 



RAMSAY HEATLEY TRAQUAIR, M.D., LL.D., F.R.S. 



We regret to announce the death, on the 22nd November, of 

 Dr Ramsay Heatley Traquair, the distinguished palaeontologist and 

 authority on fossil fishes. For some months past an increasing 

 weakness had been noticed by those who were associated with him, 

 but he continued to work bravely on up to within a few weeks of his 

 decease. Among the latest tasks accomplished by him may be 

 mentioned a "Catalogue of the Type and Figured Specimens of 

 Fossil Fishes in the Royal Scottish Museum." 



We hope to publish in an early issue a more extended notice of 

 the life and labours of our late distinguished colleague, who con- 

 tributed on several occasions to the pages of the Annals of Scottish 

 Natural History. 



NOTES. 



Great Grey Seal and Coal-fish Incident. — During a 

 residence on the main island of the Pentland Skerries in May last 

 I was the witness of an incident that may interest some of our 

 readers. On the evening of the 9th I observed a fine Great Grey 

 Seal (yHalichvrus grypus) behaving in a somewhat unusual manner, 

 and on watching it I found that it had captured a Coal-fish (Gadus 

 7'i'rens), about 4 ft. in length. The fish had been purposely only 

 partially paralysed by its captor, inasmuch as it was unable to 

 maintain its usual position in the water, but swam somewhat 

 vigorously at the surface on its back. The Seal was playing with 

 it as a cat plays with a mouse. It allowed its victim to swim away 

 some little distance, recaptured it, took it in its mouth, dived with 

 it, rolled over it, and struck it with its hind flippers. After these 

 proceedings had been repeated several times, the Seal, having to 

 all appearance thoroughly enjoyed the fun, thought it was time to 

 proceed to business — to wit, to make a meal of its capture. It 

 seized the fish by the stomach and tore out the entrails, which it 

 swallowed at a single gulp. It then very dexterously stripped off 

 the skin from head to tail, commencing on the head and using its 

 fore flippers to hold its prey, accomplishing the operation in a 

 manner that no fishmonger could excel. The skin formed the 

 second mouthful. The naked carcase was then disposed of piece- 

 meal in chunks of lanje size, until all was finished, the Seal diving 



