606 DR. J. MURIE ON PHOCA GRENLANDICA. [June 23, 
an accession, inasmuch as gradation of limb-use is most easily traced 
throughout the Carnivore series. ‘Take the Common Seal; and its 
limb-appendages on land are but of slight subservience to progression, 
the fore paws only occasionally being used among rocks. Inthe Harp 
and Bladder-nose Seals, the fore legs and paws, and, to a very mo- 
derate extent, the hind limbs are freely brought into action. Among 
the Otaries there is a very decided plantigrade mode of walk, the 
heels, however, being much restricted as to change of position. With 
a very similar style of walk and canter, the Walrus has more freedom 
of motion, from the extremities being less fixed. It is but an easy 
step to the Bears, flat-footed and moderately free-legged. A still 
further modification in manner of walk and limb-forms leads on 
through the Otters and Binturong to the more agile digitigrades, the 
Cat tribe. 
For an excellent notice of the variation of colour, geographical 
range, migrations, &c. of this species of Seal, see P.Z.S. 1868, 
p- 416. ‘The author, Mr. Brown, since the present plate was drawn, 
has called my attention to a very characteristic illustration of hun- 
dreds of these animals among the pack-ice, in the Swedish Expedition 
to Spitzbergen*. I was glad to find the artist has shown that the 
attitudes here noticed in confinement are precisely those P. grelan- 
dica exhibits in a state of nature. Being ignorant of Swedish, I 
unfortunately cannot refer to the text. 
It was not until I had well thought over this paw-creeping movement 
of the Northern Seal that I fully ‘appreciated an incident related to me 
by my friend Mr. Charles Davidson, which he had been witness to in 
one of his arctic voyages. At more than a mile distance from their 
ship a solitary Seal was noticed lying dosing near an “ escape-hole”’ 
on the ice. An Esquimaux thereupon, in his seal-skin garment and 
hood formed quite like the head of the animal he was in pursuit of, 
and with lance and rope-coil, slowly crawled towards the creature. 
For a while it apparently took little notice of him, but at last showed 
indications of being on the alert. The man by this time was still 
far off; but the moment he observed the Seal watching him, he ad- 
vanced perfectly Seal-fashion, and whilst it steadily gazed, evidently 
mistaking him for one of its species, as he at times imitated to very 
life every phocine movement, he approached within a very short 
distance. Then suddenly starting up he sent his lance whirling into 
the creature’s vitals ere it could scramble in safety to the blow-hole. 
Without further digression I may state that from time to time, as 
the Greenland Seals succumbed to the changed conditions of con- 
finement, I took the opportunity of examining their anatomy. I 
particularly made it a point to dissect the fleshy and tendinous struc- 
tures, which I thought by organization would explain those pecu- 
liarities of land-progression above-mentioned. 
I was fortunate in being able to compare, side by side, the bodies 
of P. vitulina and P. grenlandica, and also placed before me some 
* “ Anteckningar om Djurlifaet i ishafvet snellan Spetsbergen och Gronland.” 
Af Aug. Quennerstaedt. Kongl. Svenska Ak. Handl, 1868, Band vii. no. 3, 
p. 12, Taf. i. fig. 1. 
