156 NOTES ON THE ANATOMY OF A SEAL — SOMMEES. 



friend Mr. Painchaud, in that he had voluntarily undertaken 

 trouble to aid us in the promotion of the objects for which our 

 Institute has been established. Could we infuse the same spirit 

 into the minds of many friends less remote from us whose oppor- 

 tunities are probably not less than his, onr Transactions would, 

 before long, supply to investigators all material knowledge re- 

 quired for acquaintance with the extent of our natural pro- 

 ductions. 



It is right also that I should make explanation here of what the 

 subjoined notes will render apparent, viz : that our study of the 

 Seal was far less minute and less perfect than it might have 

 been. When it arrived in July, decomposition had set in, the heat 

 of the weather at that time increased the process, which went on 

 with great rapidity, notwithstanding it had been carefully injected 

 by Mr. Skelly, the Janitor of the Medical College, who was careful 

 also to keep it surrounded with disinfectants, yet the changes 

 were not checked to any extent. The above circumstances ne- 

 cessitated a speedy dissection, and although the vessels were well 

 filled with injected matter, and under other conditions could have 

 been easily followed out, we were compelled to confine our 

 work to the study of our subject, more from a zoological than 

 from an anatomical stand point. 



The following are the notes taken July the 2nd, 1879. and 

 subsequently on days when the dissection was carried on — the 

 subject, a young specimen of Phoca Grcenlandica, supposed age, 

 third or fourth months, length from muzzle to tip of tail three 

 feet, weight eighty pounds, the cuticle having peeled in many 

 places a description of the pelage was not admissible, colour of 

 hair was a dirty yellowish white, the skin viewed as a whole 

 presenting, where the cuticle remained, the dark markings or 

 spots commonly observed on seal skins from Newfoundland and 

 Labrador, the anterior and posterior extremities had each five 

 digits, the nails on the anterior fingers were strongly developed, 

 those on the posterior not so large. 



The animal had been caught in a net and despatched by a blow 

 on the skull, which had fractured the bones ; general shape of 

 head broad oval, length from muzzle to occiput, ten inches, 



