﻿56 
  

  

  THE 
  VEKTEBRATE 
  FAUNA 
  OF 
  " 
  DEE." 
  

  

  other 
  British 
  species, 
  that 
  there 
  can 
  be 
  no 
  difficulty 
  in 
  

   identification. 
  

  

  This 
  is 
  the 
  Seal 
  so 
  often 
  seen 
  by 
  Greenland 
  seal-fishers 
  

   floating 
  on 
  drift-ice 
  far 
  out 
  from 
  land, 
  and 
  is 
  known 
  by 
  them 
  

   as 
  the 
  " 
  Flaw 
  Rat." 
  

  

  Phoca 
  groenlandica, 
  Mailer. 
  Harp 
  Seal. 
  

  

  A 
  specimen 
  of 
  this 
  species 
  was 
  sent 
  to 
  me 
  from 
  Cruden 
  in 
  

   August, 
  1897, 
  and 
  its 
  skull 
  is 
  still 
  in 
  my 
  possession. 
  It 
  is 
  

   not 
  quite 
  full-grown, 
  and 
  is 
  the 
  first 
  record, 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  I 
  know, 
  

   of 
  the 
  occurrence 
  of 
  the 
  species 
  within 
  " 
  Dee." 
  

  

  On 
  March 
  7th, 
  1903, 
  a 
  female, 
  six 
  feet 
  three 
  inches 
  long, 
  

   was 
  caught 
  in 
  the 
  salmon 
  nets 
  at 
  Stonehaven. 
  It 
  was 
  brought 
  

   to 
  Aberdeen 
  Fish 
  Market, 
  where 
  I 
  bought 
  it; 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  31st 
  

   a 
  male, 
  six 
  feet 
  nine 
  inches 
  long, 
  was 
  caught 
  by 
  the 
  same 
  

   means 
  at 
  Don-mouth. 
  

  

  Genus 
  HALICH^RUS, 
  Nilsson. 
  

  

  Halichaerus 
  gryphus, 
  Nils. 
  Grey 
  Seal. 
  

  

  Although 
  this 
  species 
  can 
  be 
  spoken 
  of 
  without 
  hesitation 
  

   as 
  one 
  that 
  frequents 
  the 
  east 
  coast 
  of 
  Scotland, 
  it 
  cannot 
  

   as 
  yet 
  be 
  claimed 
  as 
  a 
  species 
  frequenting 
  " 
  Dee." 
  Still, 
  the 
  

   late 
  Mr. 
  James 
  Smith, 
  keeper 
  of 
  Dunnottar 
  Castle, 
  had 
  a 
  

   number 
  of 
  skins 
  of 
  Seals 
  which 
  he 
  had 
  killed 
  among 
  the 
  rocks 
  

   at 
  Dunnottar 
  and 
  neighbourhood, 
  and 
  amongst 
  these 
  were 
  

   some 
  which 
  I 
  believe 
  were 
  gryphus; 
  but 
  from 
  the 
  skin 
  alone 
  

   it 
  is 
  difficult 
  to 
  speak 
  definitely. 
  

  

  Order 
  CETACEA. 
  

   Family 
  BALiENIDiE. 
  

   Genus 
  NEGAPTERA. 
  

  

  Megaptera 
  longimana, 
  Rudolphi. 
  Hump-backed 
  Whale. 
  

  

  A 
  specimen 
  of 
  this 
  huge 
  animal 
  was 
  towed 
  into 
  Stonehaven 
  

   Harbour 
  in 
  1884. 
  It 
  was 
  at 
  first 
  seen 
  disporting 
  itself 
  about 
  

   the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  Tay, 
  near 
  Dundee, 
  from 
  which 
  place 
  

   some 
  men 
  went 
  in 
  pursuit 
  of 
  it; 
  but 
  although 
  they 
  "got 
  fast" 
  

   and 
  stuck 
  to 
  it 
  for 
  several 
  hours, 
  it 
  ultimately 
  succeeded 
  in 
  

  

  