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Show 484 DR. ST. G. MIVART ON THE PINNIPEDIA. [May 19 which, however, must have acted so as to prevent the escape of food into the abdominal cavity. Mr. Day likewise exhibited a portion of the sifting-apparatus of the Basking Shark (Selache maxima) which had been captured off Dendmans on May 6th. These branchial combs or teeth had been Intestines of diseased Trout. fully described by Prof. Turner. The food taken from the Shark's stomach was exhibited, and had the appearance of " red stuff like bruised crabs, or the roe of the Sea-Urchin, as described by Low," and in the pharynx were quantities of sessile-eyed crustaceans, mostly Amphipoda and Copepoda in a fresh condition, and evidently what the substance in the stomach originally consisted of, as was further proved by a microscopic examination The specimen was a female over eleven feet long, and the longest tooth in its jaws was 0*09 of an inch. The following papers were read : - 1. Notes on the Pinnipedia. By ST. G E O R G E MIVART, V.P.Z.S. [Received April 16, 1885.] To the question whether or not the group of Pinnipeds should form a distinct order of Mammalia, modern science adds that concerning their genetic affinities. This latter inquiry suggests another question, namely, the question whether the group is genetically |
