376 MR. J. G. MILLAIS ON THE SKIN OF THE [Mar. 1, 



Crown of head pale grey. This is by far the commonest type of 

 adult male, and quite 60 per cent, belong to this form. The" 

 " rope "-like markings on the neck are seldom seen in this type. 

 Although I have never yet examined a specimen, I have strong 

 reasons for believing that sometimes silvery grey- white adult males- 

 may occur. These are probably not albinos, but simply extremely 

 light-colovxred examples of the light type on which there are nc^ 

 spots, and have been seen lying on i-ocks with the sun playing on 

 them. Mr. Sutherland, the keeper at Kintradwell, Sutherland, 

 who has seen and shot many Grey Seals, stated in a letter to me 

 that he had twice seen a big male that was pure white, and for 

 two seasons a lai-ge male has frequented the outer skerries near 

 Belmullet, and been seen several times by Philip Lovell, the- 

 "king" of Inniskeara, who has lived amongst these seals all his 

 life. ^ 



The pelage in the adult male and female is short and somewhat 

 rigid. In the late summer and autumn it is somewhat sparse, 

 but is close and pretty thick fi'om February to May, when it is 

 in best condition. Mr. Allen, and othei-s who have since quoted 

 from his writings, say that the hair is often recurved at the tips, 

 but this is not my experience except in stuflFed specimens subjected 

 to artificial heat. 



The skin of the adult male emits a pungent odour resembling- 

 coal-tar, and this scent is strongly retained after curing, as is the 

 case with petrels, &c. In the females this odour is scarcely 

 noticeable and is lost after death. 



Adult Females. 



Adult females are represented by two distinct types. They 

 ai-e much paler in colour than the males, and vary less in their 

 pelages. 



1. The Light Grey Female. — Quite 95 per cent, of female Grey 

 Seals conform to this pelage. A pure bluish grey is found over 

 all the upper parts, whilst pure white hair covers the belly and 

 throat, a few black spots are generally seen on the shoulders and 

 fore flippers, and the lower throat is well marked with black spots. 

 When in full coat these females possess a beaiitiful silvery sheen 

 over the whole coat, which, taking on the lights of the surrounding 

 sea and sky, gives the pelage an iridescence of many hues. The 

 crown of the head, although a very pale grey, is especially bright 

 as well as the flanks, and at a distance the Seal looks silvery 

 white*. 



2. The Dark Spotted Female. — I have never seen a " black " 

 female, although I have reason to believe that such has occurred. 



* The variation of the colour in a single specimen of the Grey Seal is most remark- 

 able when the light strikes it in different ways. An adult female, Ij'ing on a rock 

 with the sun directly overhead, looked almost silvery white, in a side-light sea-green, 

 and afterwards, in a room without the influence of outdoor eifects,. a pure grey. The 

 reader must therefore feel some sympathy with the artist who has to reproduce such 

 chameleon-like changes in the coat of a single animal. 



