THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 95 



Df. Gray's descriptions are almost entirely confined to the 

 exterior; it seemed his especial aim to seize on those 

 differences which are the most, obvious, and would be the 

 first to be noticed by the student when he begins to turn his 

 attention to the examination of species; and in that department 

 he was successful and lucid. It was perhaps my misfortune 

 to differ from him in his view of the paramount value of 

 superficial character, believing, as I do, that we should first 

 associate those animals which agree in intimate, internal, and 

 physiological characters, and only utilize diflerences of the 

 exterior or extremities in the smaller groups as of genera or 

 species. As an instance of the tendency I have mentioned, 

 1 believe that Dr. Gray to the last persisted in treating the 

 marsupial animals as a section of the FercE, or beasts of prey, 

 whilst others have considered these wonderful creatures as 

 forming a series equally important with the placental series, 

 and in many instances parallel therewith. In this view of 

 the primary importance of the marsupial character I always 

 concurred, and hence it was my misfortune to differ from one 

 whose knowledge and industry had placed him at the very 

 head of the Science. It seems desirable to add that in the 

 expression of this view as to the comparatively minor 

 importance of the marsupial character, Dr. Gray is supported 

 by the published works of six eminent zoologists enumerated 

 by Mr. Waterhouse in his Natural History of " Marsupialia, 

 or Pouched Animals:" these are Storr, llliger, Frederic 

 Cuvier, Bennett, Swainson, and Ogilby. In the work to 

 which I have alluded Mr. Waterhouse has expressed an 

 opinion opposed to that of the eminent zoologists I have 

 mentioned, but in exact accordance with my own. As a 

 noteworthy exception to the propensity to avail himself of 

 external characters in his descriptions, I am delighted to 

 invite attention to the use which Dr. Gray made of the skull 

 in some of his most valuable contributions to Zoology. I 

 would particularly mention three very recent instances. The 

 first appears in the 'Zoologist' for December, 1872, and is 

 intituled " The Seals that permanently reside in or occasion- 

 ally visit the British Islands" (S. S. 3333). The second is 

 in the same journal for January and continued in March, 1873, 

 and intituled "A Catalogue ot the Whales and Dolphins inha- 

 biting or incidentally visiting the seas surrounding the British 



