156 NOTES ON THE ANATOMY OF A SEAL—SOMMERS. 
friend Mr. Painchaud, in that he had voluntarily undertaken 
trouble to aid us in the premotion of the objects for which our 
Institute has been established. Could we infuse the same spirit 
into the minds of many friends less remote from us, whose oppor- 
tunities are probably not less than his, our Transactions would 
before long, supply to investigators all material knowledge re- 
quired for acquaintance with the extent of our natural pro- 
ductions. 
Tt is right also that I should make explanation here of what the 
subjoined notes will render apparent, viz: that our study of the 
Seal was far less minute and less perfect than it might bave 
been. When it arrived in July, decomposition had set in, the heat 
of the weather at that time increased the process, which went on 
with great rapidity, notwithstanding it had been carefully injected 
by Mr. Skelly, the Janitor of the Medical College, who was careful 
also to keep it surrounded with disinfectants, yet the changes 
were not checked to any extent. The above cireumstances ne- 
cessitated a speedy dissection, and although the vessels were well 
filled with injected matter and under other conditions could have 
been easily followed out, we were compelled to confine our 
work to the study of our subject, more from a zoological than 
from an anatomical stand point. 
The following are the notes taken July the 2nd, 1879, and 
subsequently on days when the dissection was carried on—the 
subject, a young specimen of Phoca Grcenlandica, supposed age, 
third or fourth month, length from muzzle to tip of tail three 
feet, weight eighty pounds, the cuticle having peeled in many 
places a description of the pelage was not admissable, colour of 
hair was a dirty yellowish white, the skin viewed as a whole 
presenting where the cuticle remained, the dark markings or 
spots commonly observed on seal skins from Newfoundland and 
Labrador, the anterior and posterior extremities had each five 
digits, the nails on the anterior fingers were strongly developed, 
those on the posterior not so large. . 
The animal had been caught in a net and despatched by a blow 
on the skull which had fractured the bones, general shape of 
head broad oval, length from muzzle to occiput, ten inches, 
