THE COMMON SEAL. 179 



men seal ; it is a much larger and fiercer species, viz. 

 the gray seal, HalicJiceius Gryplms (Phoca Gryphus^ 

 Fabricius), which is also common round the Farn Islands. 

 (See Mr. Selby's observations in ' Ann. and Mag. Hist. 

 Nat.,' February, 1841, p. 462.) This species has till 

 lately been confounded with another, viz. the Phoca 

 barbata, which is rarely if ever seen on our coasts. 



The gray seal is of great size, sometimes attaining the 

 length of twelve feet, and producing upwards of twenty 

 gallons of oil. It swims and dives with wonderful ra- 

 pidity, but from its curiosity often comes within range of 

 the rifle, for, as the boats approach it while reposing on 

 the rocks or swimming on the water, it raises its head 

 and remains for many minutes gazing at the objects of its 

 attention. The gray seal has but little intelligence, and 

 cannot be tamed. The young, which are produced in 

 August, grow rapidly, and are able to follow their dams 

 to the water within a fortnight after birth. 



Mr. Newman, in his interesting ' Notes on Irish Na- 

 tural History' ('Mag. Nat. Hist.,' December, 1839, p. 

 575), observes that "these seals are most abundant ail 

 round the coast of Cunnemara, from Gal way to the Kil- 

 leries ; indeed, I imagine, on every part of the coast of 

 Ireland : they are strong, resolute, and ferocious animals, 

 and totally different from the Phoca vitulina, which is 

 in these respects the reverse. The Halich(srus Gryphus 

 grows occasionally to an enormous size, sometimes at- 

 taining even the length of twelve feet, and Mr. Ball, of 

 Dublin, told me of one he had killed at Howth Harbour, 

 which he believed to weigh five hundred pounds. 

 Phoca vitulina occurs not unfrequently on the noith 

 coast of Ireland, and among the Scotch islands, but it 

 appears to be nearly expelled from the southern half of 

 Ireland by the more powerful and savage species above 

 referred to." Mr. Selby records one -killed in the Farn 

 islands, weighing upwards of forty-seven stone, fourteen 

 pounds to the stone. 



The gray seal is stated by Nilsson to be solitary in 

 the Baltic ; but such is not the case either on the Farn 

 islands or the coast of Ireland, where it tenants caves 



