GUNTHER. — MAMMALIA OF GREENLAND. 39 



Strong spirit. It will be also useful to obtain faithful sketches of 

 the heads of adult animals (in different views) and of the attitudes 

 assumed by them during life. 



11. Seals. — So much remains to be done towards elucidating 

 the life-history of the Seals (of which six species have hitherto 

 been found off the coasts of Greenland), that the naturalists should 

 never neglect an opportunity of collecting further materials on any 

 point referring to the occurrence, habits, propagation, migration, 

 variation, &c., and note their observations, be they confirmatory 

 of, or at variance with, the statements of previous observers. 

 All perfect skins, skeletons, or skulls which can be spared for 

 scientific purposes, should be preserved ; and in obtaining these 

 specimens the collector ought to be particularly anxious (1.) to 

 obtain skin and skeleton (or at least skull) of the same individual ; 

 (2.) to obtain specimens out of the same flock or family and to mark 

 distinctly the examples thus related to each other ; (3.) to secure 

 and prepare the mother with the young. 



2. Instructions for making Observations on and Col- 

 lecting Specimens of the Cetacea of the Arctic 

 Seas. By Prof. W. H. Flower, F.R.S. 



The study of the habits and structure of the Cetacea is beset by so 

 many difficulties that every accurately observed and carefully re- 

 corded fact relating to them will be of value to science. For- 

 tunately the work of the numerous naturalists who have devoted 

 themselves to this group, during the last few years, has done 

 much to clear away the main sources of confusion and error in all 

 the earlier accounts of their anatomical characters, habits, and 

 geographical distribution, and at length, at least as regards the 

 Northern species, we have been able to arrive at a tolerably satis- 

 factory knowledge of the principal distinctive characteristics of all 

 the common species, and of their relations to each other. The 

 ground having been so far cleared, and a definite framework 

 based on solid fact having been raised, future observers will be 

 in a far better position, than was possible till very recently, to fill 

 in all the required details for completing our knowledge of this 

 interesting order of Mammals. 



A list is appended of the species which may be met with in the 

 seas to be traversed by the Expedition, with their principal dis- 

 tinctive characters, an outline of what is now known of their 

 geographical distribution, and notes on the chief points in their 

 history still requiring elucidation. It is probable that many of 

 these are not truly Arctic, but in the absence of satisfactory 

 information as to the limits of their range in that direction, 

 it seems best to include all species known to inhabit the North 

 Atlantic. It may, however, be mentioned generally that the 

 appearance in the sea of every Cetacean should be noted, the 

 correct specific designation being, if it can possibly be made 



