SEALS AND WHALES OF THE L.M.B.C. DISTRICT. 135 
coasts.’’ Much stress, however, must not be laid on these 
conclusions. 
For the correct determination of Seals, examination and 
comparison of their skulls are absolutely necessary. The 
colour of the fur varies much in individuals, and in the 
Harp Seal more than in any others. In this species the 
adult male has a black face and a black harp-like figure on 
its back, whence its name. In the female this is with the 
face brown and less well defined; immature specimens are 
mottled with greyish black spots, and the young cubs are 
creamy white. These differences are well displayed in the 
Museum series of specimens from Newfoundland, presented 
by Messrs. Bowring, and arranged in a characteristic 
group. An examination of the skulls from these individuals 
at once shows their identity. This difficulty in determina- 
tion apples with much force to attempts to make out the 
species described or even figured by the older authors, and 
was much felt by the late Dr. J. E. Gray, in cataloguing 
the rich collections of the British Museum under his care. 
He set to work with characteristic energy to work out both 
the skins and skulls, giving a great impetus both to 
collectors and describers, and inaugurating a new era. 
Previously confusion was inevitable, for those whose 
knowledge was based on personal observation of the 
creatures in life, however wide and accurate, being cut off 
from access to the observations recorded in books were at 
sreat disadvantage in making their observations accurately 
known, while those with the fullest command of book 
knowledge had but scant opportunities of studying from 
living creatures in their natural state. These remarks 
apply with even greater force to the study of the Cetacea 
with respect to which Dr. Gray also apphed himself with 
similar zeal, though not always with equal success. 
To return to the Seals: in the absence of published 
