| Show ort ft stones in seals stoma clui I 1 at a recent meeting of the bristol naturalists Natura lists Society Dr A J harrison read a paper on the ballast barot the seal the seals are ca carniv irdill I 1 jwu ma mammals emals divided into two class ies 7 ate phocas phoebe or common seals with valt ruall ears and the ow lions bears elephants which 14 tan P the ears eais developed according z fishermen the have an pouch known as the ballast bi ba because it is always found to cou contole Aum number berof of rounded stories stones trept i ence of these is accounted tor for bj baio oili 1 tug ing that when the animals grow row bwy tat fat they become so buoyant as win unable to sink below the surface ottee J water without the aid of et some al ballast J which they secure by mog lag 1 stones this theory implies the pos session by the seals of of cons considerable 0 4 reasoning lne power observations shown that the so called ballast I 1 is only toe tile stomach and accord hal adle y 8 some ome people have bugg suggested e sted t sto stones a e s are intended tended ia to assist in the of food in somewhat the same manner as in the gizzard of fowl other persons suppose tibe no useful purpose and are der dentally itally introduced with the food vt in play in the seals and sea lions at the london zoo similar rounded stow have been found large numbers of 61 which are quite foreign to the geown cal character of the district A ne new found land seal which died at the allf ton zoo in 1886 was examined by dr harrison who found in the shonu gravel nuts and pieces of el antigo american i |
