Class I. SEAL. 14^ 



to the boat, which two men are left to guard. 

 This is a moil hazardous employ; for fhould their 

 torches go out, or the wind blow hard from fea 

 during their continuance in the cave, their lives are 

 loft. The young feals of fix weeks age, yield more 

 oil than their emaciated dams : above eight gallons 

 have been got from a fingle whelp, which fells 

 from fix-pence to nine-pence per gallon ; the fkins 

 from fix-pence to twelve-pence. 



The natural hiftory of this animal may be further 

 elucidated, by the following extradls from a letter 

 of the Rev. Dr. William Borlafe^ dated October the 

 24th, 1763. 



' The feals are feen in the greateft plenty on the 



* fhores of Cornwall^ in the months of May^ June^ 



* and July, 



* They are of different fizes ; fome as large as a 



* cow, and from that downwards to a fmail caif. 



' They feed on moft forts of fifh which they can 

 ' mafter, and are feen fearching for their prey near 

 ' fhore, where the whiftling fifh, wraw?, and 

 ' polacks refort. 



' They are very fwift in their proper depth of 



* water, dive like a (hot, and in a trice rife at fifty 



* yards diftance •, fo that weaker fifnes cannot avoid 



* their tyranny, except in fnallow water. A per- 



* fon of the parifh of Sennan^ faw not long fince a 

 ' feal in purfuit of a mullet (that ftrong and fwifc 

 ' fifh) : the leal turned it to and fro' in deep water, 

 : as a gre-hound does a hare : the mullet at lad 



L 4 * found 



