74 THE GREAT SEAL. 



thin. The liver was composed of six lobes, each 

 of which was long and thin, like the spleen. The 

 gall-bladder was very small. The heart was long, 

 and of a soft texture, having a large foramen 

 ovale ; and the fleshy parts were very considerable. 

 Dr. Parsons says, that the interior conformation 

 greatly resembled that of a Cow, and differed as 

 greatly from that of other Seals, (two of which he 

 had before dissected, ) as the structure of a Cow does 

 from that of a Horse. One stomach, as he informs 

 us, was filled with fish; and in another, communi- 

 cating with it, there were found about four pounds 

 weight of small angular pieces of flint, which the 

 animal appeared to have swallowed for the purpose 

 of grinding its food. Besides these, there were two 

 other bags, which contained a whitish fluid matter. 

 He regarded this Seal as having four stomachs, and 

 as being a ruminating animal*. 



It is remarked by M. de Buffon, that although the 

 above writer might be a skilful physician, yet in 

 the present case his sole testimony is by no means 

 sufficient to persuade naturalists that the Great 

 Seal is a ruminating animal. The Pied Seal, which 

 M. de Buffon dissected, had its stomach divided 

 into four bags, or appendices : but he says that 



* Parsons, in Phil. Tran. ix. p. 74. Letter to M. de Buffon, dated 

 London, May 10th, 1765, inserted in Sonnini's edition of Buifon, 

 xxxiv. p. 49. 



these 



