lO THE FISHERIES. 



US to sav, that there is scarcely a besr-net around the 

 coast., or a stake-net in an exposed situation in 

 an estuary, Trhich has not its attendant pair of 

 seals., or more, which frequent the net for their or- 

 dinary supply of food. We haye known the seal,-v 

 denominated the large sea seal, to haye been taken ' 

 ia the chamber of a bag-net, into which he foroed 

 himself^ \yf extending the door of the net, which is 

 aa aperture of only seyen inches in width, but of 

 considerable height. The animal here alluded to 

 was as large as a polar bear, and was purchased at 

 the time by the Royal College of Sur£:eon5.-4n 

 Dublin, for the purposes of comparative anatomy. 

 Upon being captured and remoyed from the net, this 

 unwelcome visiter, of course, received some rougTi 

 usage, which caused its death a few days afterwards : 

 but, on being brought to shore, it disgorged from its 

 stomach a portion of its prejv and five or six salmon 

 heads formed part of the contents. We mention this 

 fact with particularity, because some marine animals 

 which frequent the fixed net do not devour the whole 

 of their prey — in this respect resembling the otter : 

 numbers of heads, and other fragments of salmon, 

 are found about the rocks in the neighbourhood of 

 the bag-net; and it is conjectured that these are 

 probably the traces of the smaller seal (Ph.oco. xitu- 

 iiiuj.) which can readily obtain iuCTess and eoress 

 through the narrow door of the bag-net ; and this 

 smaller animal, which probably is the chief depreda- 

 tor, will doubtless resort there for food, and carry 



