R-RMATiKS ABOUT SEALS. 



291 



nverse to captaring and devonring sea-birds, when tliey 

 have the chance, which they seize very adroitly as the birds 

 are swimming about. Certainly seals could never capture 

 them on the land. 



Further, if you examine the dcntilvm of the carnivora, 

 you will notice that they have a certain fixed arrangement 

 of teeth : they have incwors in front of the jaw for grasp- 

 ing and holding their food ; canines, usually four in number ; 

 and also molars, for cutting and triturating purposes. These 

 molars vary in accordance with the varying work they have 

 to perform, being sharper and more trenchant where masti- 

 cation is slightly done. Seals have very trenchant molar 

 teeth, a circumstance which I regard as of great importance. 



I have alluded to a few of the leading characteristics of 

 seals, but it is beyond the scope of my paper to go into any 

 lengthened description of these creatures ; but I may refer 

 to the fact that they are intelligent and easily tnraed, and 

 then become very affectionate and demonstrative to their 

 keepers. They can be induced to utter sounds, which are 

 said to be very intelligible to those accustomed to them ; 

 and most, if not all, of the so named " talking fish " belong 

 to this sub-order of the anim.al kingdom, and are not fish 

 at all. 



We have had from time to time many specimens of seals 

 in our Zoological Gardens, and it has been a great source of 

 ])loasure to me to watch the habits and vagaries of these 

 and our other animals ; but I do not remember seeing more 

 than one species of seal in the gardens, viz. the Phoca 

 vitulina of the British coasts and of the Atlantic. Several 

 specimens have been presented to us which have been taken 

 off the shores of Newfoundland and Nova Scotia. 



The specimen which is in the Gardens at the present 

 time, and which is very lively and amusing, was taken in- 



