114 



rupeds, is that of being habitually closed, instead of being uniformly 

 open. This was first noticed, we believe, in a walrus domesticated in 

 England, of which, as will appear in our account of that animal, it was 

 said: "It can open and shut its nostrils at pleasure." The Count 

 BufPon again pointed out the peculiarity in a tame seal which he 

 examined : " In the intervals of breathing, the nostrils were accurately 

 closed, and, on the act of inspiration being completed, they were shut 

 as before." M. F. Cuvier, at a later period, made a similar observation, 

 so that we apprehend we may safely affirm that this peculiarity exists 

 in the air passages as their ordinary condition. This state of parts of 

 course supplies ready means of judging of the frequency of respiration, 

 and here, too, there appears to be a marked difference, even on land, 

 from what obtains among other animals. Thus Bufifon, in the instance 

 already alluded to, remarks: "The period between its several inspira- 

 tions was very long; the creature opened its nostrils to make a strong 

 expiration, which was immediately followed by an inspiration, after 

 which it closed them, often allowing them minutes to intervene without 

 taking another breath." In connection with this peculiarity, M. F. 

 Cuvier makes an additional and important remark : " Notwithstanding 

 the slow and irregular breathing of these animals, the regular supply 

 of air to the lungs is in no degree diminished, if we may judge from 

 the very free motion of the ribs, and the great quantity of air expelled 

 at each expiration. In truth, the quantity of air taken in makes up 

 for the small number of the respirations; for few of the Mammalia 

 have appeared to me to l«ive so high a natural temperature as the seals. 

 But, however great the peculiarity as exhibited on land may be, it is 

 trifling when compared to its singularity in water, where it is not 

 uncommon for these animals to remain for a quarter of an hour at a 

 time under the surface (the usual period even for whales); and we are 

 not prepared to state what the extreme limit may be. Thus, Crantz 

 states that when harpooned they must come up in about a quarter of an 

 hour to take breath; and Mr. Edmonston informs us that he once saw 

 one of the bearded seals entangled in a net, which struggled with 

 amazing force for more than twenty-five minutes without once inspiring, 

 and yet was brought to the surface alive. An observation of M. F. 

 Cuvier is still more remarkable. He states, concerning those Avhich 

 were preserved in the menagerie at Paris, that he has seen them while 

 asleep keep their heads under water consecutively and consequently 

 without breathing for an hour at a time. This is an extraordinary 

 phenomenon, even allowing that the animal was in that somewhat 

 lethargic condition to which we shall ere long allude. 



As to their destruction, by unrestricted hunting, the following pages 

 may be referred to : pp. 93, 95, 96, and 97, where it is said : 



The time was when cargoes of those skins yielded $5 or $6 apiece in 

 China, and the present price in the English market averages from 30 

 to 50 shillings per skin. The number of skins brought off from Georgia 

 can not be estimated at fewer than 1,200,000; the Island of Desolation 

 has been equally productive, and in addition to the vast sums of money 

 which these creatures have yielded it is calculated that several thousand 

 tons of shipping have annually been employed in the traffic. 



* * * These valuable creatures have often been found frequent- 

 ing some sterile islands in innumerable multitudes. By way of illus- 

 tration, we shall refer only to the fur-seal, as occurring in South Shet- 

 land. On this barren spot their numbers were such that it has been 



