16 NATURAL HISTORY [Quadrupeds. 



" the neck short and thick ; the eyes large and black ; tongue 

 " forked at the end ; nostrils oblong ; on each side the nose 

 " were several long stiff hairs (these in the specimens I have 

 " seen are undulated) ; and above each eye Avere a few of the 

 " same kind ; two canine teeth in each jaw ; six cutting teeth 

 " in the upper jaw, four in the lower ; no external earS ; body 

 " covered with hair ; short tail ; toes furnished with strong and 

 " sharp claws ; colour various, dusky, sand-coloured, brinded, 

 " spotted with white or yellow ; the hair of the old ones is 

 " thick, short, and glossy ; that of the young, long, white, and 

 " woolly." 



The largest seal I ever saw in Orkney measured, from the 

 point of the nose to the hinder claws, eight feet. 



The seal swims with vast rapidity, and before a gale of wind 

 is full of frolic, jumping and tumbling about, sometimes wholly 

 throwing itself above water, performing many awkward gam- 

 bols, and at last retiring to its wonted rock, or cavern, which 

 it keeps possession of (if undisturbed by man), from its own 

 species (I have seen them often pushing one another down), 

 and there continues till the storm is over. Seals seem to have 

 a great deal of curiosity : if people are passing in boats, they 

 often come quite close up to the boat, and stare at them, fol- 

 lowing for a long time together; if people are speaking loud, 

 they seem to wonder what may be the matter. The church 

 of Hoy, in Orkney, is situated near a small sandy bay, much 

 frequented by these creatures; and I observed when the bell 

 rung for divine service, all the seals within hearing swam di- 

 rectly for the shore, and kept looking about them, as if sur- 



