GILPIN — ON THE MAMMALIA OF NOVA SCOTIA. 125 



ground caribou of the Arctic circle, is becoming extinct the most 

 rapidly. Though following Jardine and Richardson I have given the speci- 

 fic " Americana" and " Muswa" to the moose, there can no longer be a 

 doubt of its complete identity with the Elk of Sweden and Norway.* 

 Captain Hardy, R. A., a member of our Institute, (than whom there can 

 be no more competent authority,) fresh from studying the moose in the 

 Nova Scotia forest, with all his recollections, drawings, and measure- 

 ments, has compared him with two young elk? from Norway, the property 

 of the Prince of Wales, and pronounces them identical, f See " Land 

 and Water," Aug. 15, ]<S68, with illustrations.) In Captain Hardy's 

 sketch the forehead appears broader than in the moose. This is the 

 point insisted upon by Richardson as the difference between the two 

 skulls. 



In not adding Meriones (Jaculiis) acadica, (Edn. New Phil. 

 Journal, 1856,) to the list, I owe it to so learned a naturalist as 

 Dawson to explain that the specimens upon which he founded his 

 new species, and which he obtained from Mr. Winton, Halifax, 

 were prepared for myself, and described as the yoimg of J. 

 hudsonius, (Ziram.,) in a lecture before the Mechanics' Institute, 

 Halifax, about 1850, and that though being unwilling to differ 

 from him, and still more unwilling to lose a mammal from our 

 Province, I still retain my opinion. Of animals not identified by 

 myself, but sometimaCs to be found in the Province, I think the 

 Virginian deer (Cervus virginianus) will be found in the Cobequid 

 hills, as I personally know they have been taken at Dorchester, 

 N. B., near the boundary line. There is a tradition of a wolverene 

 (Gulo luscus) having been taken in the same wild country. A 

 large black squirrel skin (Sciurus carolinensis) with nigritism, was 

 given me from Cumberland. Of the Pinnipedia or seals and Cetae 

 or whales, I have identified none. From the labours of Dr. Gill 

 we unexpectedly learn that our common seal is identical with the 

 European, (P. vitulina,) and the harp (P. groenlandica,) and 

 the grey seal (H. griseus, Neilson,) are all common to each conti- 

 nent. This identity running through the fish, amphibious mammals, 

 the sea birds, and larger land mammals, seems a good proof of our 

 common glacial period and gradual emergence. Of extinct species, 

 during historic time, we may enumerate the walrus, with its 



♦Since this was in press Sclayter in list of vertebrates, Zoological Garden, 1872, 

 gives alces, machlis, considering them identical. 



