a DR. J. E. GRAY ON THE SPECIES OF SEALS. [Jan. 26, 
the Leyden Museum, has most kindly sent to me for examination 
and comparison the fragments of skulls above referred to: they 
consist of the face-bone and the lower jaws of three specimens ; the 
most perfect specimen has part of the orbit and the upper part of 
the brain-case attached to it. They are ali from very young speci- 
mens, of nearly the same age; and, unfortunately, the most perfect 
one is without the hinder portion of the palate, so that I cannot 
make sure that it has the same form of the palatine margin that is 
found in Pagomys; but the part of the side of the palate that is 
present, when compared with the same part in Pagomys, leads one 
to think it most likely to be of the same form as iu that genus. 
The general form and size of the face, and the form of the teeth, 
are very similar to those of a skull of Payomys fetidus of the same 
age. It only differs from the latter in the lower jaw being rather 
shorter and broader, in the grinders being larger, thicker, and rather 
closer together, in the central lobe of the grinders being consider- 
ably larger, thicker, and stronger, and in all the lobes of the grind- 
ers being more acute. The lower margin of the lower jaw is dilated 
in front, just as in Pagomys feetidus ; but the jaws behind the dila- 
tation diverge more from each other, leaving a wider space between 
them at the hinder part. The form of the hinder angle of the jaws 
is very similar in the two species. The orbit is rather smaller and 
more circular; for in P. fetidus it is rather oblong, being rather 
longer than wide. The forehead appears, as far as one can judge 
by the fragments, to be flatter and broader, and the nose rather 
shorter. 
The following measurements show the difference between the two 
species :-— 
P., foetidus.. P. nummularis. 
in. 12ths. in. 12ths. 
Length of lower jaw to hinder notch .. 2 11 1 7, 
Length of lower jaw to end of dilatation. 1 45 1 22 
Length of upper teeth-lme .......... 1 34 1 
Length of three grinders ............ 0; (25 0 8 
Width at outside of hinder notch,..... epee) tae 77 
Tienpth Of Orbit... oc 2s ee se eh 1 82 1 5 
The Phoca nummularis of Japan has been considered to be iden- 
- tical with Phoca largha of Pallas, from the east shore of Kams- 
chatka, the Phoca chorissii of Lesson, and the Phoque tigre of Kras- 
chennenikow (which has been named Phoca tigrina by Lesson), on 
the strength of their coming from nearly the same district ; but I 
am not aware that specimens of any of the latter species exist to 
verify the union and determine what are the species described under 
these names. 
The British Museum has lately purchased the dead body of a Seal, 
which had been exhibited in London as the “ Talking Fish.” The 
proprietor, an Italian, at first said it was from the coast of South 
America, but afterwards admitted that it was from one of the ports 
on the north side of the Mediterranean; and on examination it 
proved to be the Monk Seal (Phoca albiventer), the type of the 
