354 HISTORY OF THE 



month the feals bring forth their young on the weft 

 fide of thefe iflands; but thefe on the eaft fide, who 

 are of the lefier ftature, bring forth their young in 

 the middle of June. 



The feals eat no fifh till they firft take off the fkin; 

 they take hold of the fifh between their teeth, and 

 pluck the {kin off each fide with their fharp-pointed 

 nails : this I obferved feveral times. The natives 

 told me that the feals are regularly coupled, and 

 refent an encroachment on their mates at an extra- 

 ordinary rate. The natives have obferved that when 

 a 'male had invaded a female already coupled to 

 another, the injured male upon its return to its mate, 

 would, by a ftrange fagacity, find it out and refent 

 it againft the * aggreffor by a bloody conflict, which 

 gives a red tincture to the fea in that part where they 

 fight. This piece of revenge has been often ob- 

 ferved by feal hunters, and many others of unquef- 

 tionable integrity, whofe occafions obliged them to 

 be much on this coaft. I was allured by good 

 hands that the feals make their addrefles to each 

 other by kifTes : this hath been obferved often by 

 men and women, when fifhing on the coaft in a clear 

 day : The female puts away its young from fucking, 

 as foon as it is able to provide for itfelf, and this is 

 not done without many fevere blows. 



There is a hole in the fkin of the females, within 

 which the teats are fecured from being hurt, as it 

 creeps along the rocks and ftones, for which caufe 

 nature hath formed the point of the tongue cloven, 

 without which the young could not fuck. 



The natives fait the feals with the afhes of burnt 

 fea-ware, and fay they are good food. The vulgar 

 cat them commonly in the fpring time, with a long 

 pointed ftick inftead of a fork, to prevent theftrong 

 fmell which their hands would otherways have for 

 feveral hours after. 



This four-footed creature is reckoned one of the 

 fwifteft in the fea 5 they fay likewife that it leaps in 



cold 



