K. BROWN ON THE SEALS OF GREENLAND. 41 



relative abuntlance or otherwise of that article in different portions 

 of the Arctic seas. The great staple of fooii, however, consists of 

 various species of Crustacea which swarm in the northern seas. 

 During the sealiug-season in the Spitzbergeu sea I have in- 

 variably taken out of their stomachs various species of Ganimarus 

 (G. sahini, Leach, G.hi'icafuSj Sab., G. pinffnis, Kr., G. dentatus, 

 Kr., G. mntatus, Lilljob., Szc), collectively known to the whalers 

 under the name of " Mountebank Shrimps," deriving the name 

 from their peculiar agility in the water. This *' seals' food " is 

 found more plentitul in some latitudes than in others, but in all 

 parts of the Greenland sea from Iceland to Spitzbergen ; I have 

 seen the sea at some places literally swarming with them. Again, 

 in the summer in Davis's Strait I have found in their stomach 

 remains of whatever species of small Fish happened to be just then 

 abuudaut on the coast, such as the Ma Hot us arcticus* Sal mo 

 (various species), &:c. I have even known them to thaw down 

 small Birds swimming on the surface ; but their chief food is 

 Crustacea and Fish, They also feed on Medus:e and Cuttlefish 

 (Squids). 



4. Spates on the Specks of Plnnipcdia, 



(1.) Callocephalus vitulinus (Linn.), F. Cuv. 

 Phoca vitidina, Linn. Phoca variegata, Nilss. 



Phoca communis, Linn. (Mus. Phoca Ihuuei^ Less. 



Ad. Frid., i., 5). Phoca littorca, Thienem. 



Phoca ca/?i>/flr,Pall. (ad partem). 



Popular names. — Sea-dog, Sca-calt\ Sm-Ciu (^English sailors 

 and fishermen generally) ; Scikie, »S<7«(7/,f and Ta/ifi/ish (north of 

 Scotland) ; Pawn (^western islands of Scotland) : Spriiklig Skal 

 (Swedish) ; in other parts of Scandinavia, and according to age, 

 &c., it is variously designated ff'Uharc S/iiil, Kiidbs<rl, F/ordnachc , 

 den spiiffcde Sal (^the Spotted Seal), Algar, Laggar, Knfafy and 

 Slicilfohar ; Kohbe, SUnkohbc (Soy^q') x Iff/ljc (^Finnish) : Xuorjo 

 (Lapp.) ; Scchund (^German) : ]'eau Marin and Phoque (^French) ; 

 Kassigiak (Greenland) ; Spraght Siclhund (^Danes in Greenland). 



The Eskimo in Pond's Bay, on being shown a good figure of 

 this Seal, called it Supalo ; but whether this is their nameVor the 

 animal and is to be received for a proof that the (\ vittdinus 

 is found there, I cannot take upon myself to decide. The 

 Greenlanders also call it, according to age, Kassigiectsak and 

 Kassiginak ; but when it attains tlie age of throe years, it is 

 called Kassiarsoak ('' the big Kassigiak "). It is also, thouuh 

 more rarely, called, according to its age, Krmik, Krmitsak, Aku- 

 thc€nak,inid Akunncklok. Prof. Newton (^"' Notes on the Zoology 

 of Spitsbergen," Proc. Zool. Soc. 1864, and Ann. Nat. Hist., 

 Vol. XVL, ord Series, p. 423), Siiys that Pagomgs jWtidtts is 

 called Stecn Kobbc (^Stone-Seal) by the Spitzbergen hunters. I 



* For some account of the Capelin, see Pennant's Arctic Zool. Supnl.. 

 p. 141. 



i The -w-ord " Seal " is from the Anglo-Saxon Selc, Seolc. 



