THE MERMAID. yj 



has an odd way of mocking at our impossibilities, and " that 

 " it may be that green-haired maidens with oary tails, lurk 

 in the ocean caves, and keep mirrors and combs upon their 

 rocky shelves ; " and the conclusion he arrives at is that the 

 combined evidence " induces a strong suspicion that the 

 northern seas may hold forms of life as yet uncatalogued 

 by science." 



That there are animals in the northern and other seas 

 with which we are unacquainted, is more than probable : 

 discoveries of animals of new species are constantly being 

 made, especially in the life of the deep sea. But I venture 

 to think that the production of an animal at present 

 unknown is quite unnecessary to account for the supposed 

 appearances of mermaids. 



We have in the form and habits of the PJiocidce, or earless 

 seals, a sufficient interpretation of almost every incident of 

 the kind that has occurred north of the Equator — of those 

 in which protuberant inammcs are described, we must 

 presently seek another explanation. The round, plump, 

 expressive face of a seal, the beautiful, limpid eyes, the 

 hand-like fore-paws, the sleek body, tapering towards the 

 flattened hinder fins, which are directed backwards, and 

 spread out in the form of a broad fin, like the tail of a fish, 

 might well give the idea of an animal having the anterior 

 part of its body human and the posterior half piscine. 



In the habits of the seals, also, we may trace those of the 

 supposed mermaid, and the more easily the better we are 

 acquainted with them. All seals arc fond of leaving the 

 water frequently. They always select the flattest and most 

 shelving rocks which have been covered at high tide, and 

 prefer those that are separated from the mainland. They 

 generally go ashore at half-tide, and invariably lie with 

 their heads towards the water, and seldom more than a 



