THE AMPHIBIOUS CARNIVORA. 75 



beautiful bay in the island, named, from the circum- 

 stance of its being a favourite haunt of the animal, 

 Seal Bay, numbers of these creatures invariably made 

 their appearance, especially if the weather was calm 

 and sunny, and the sea smooth, crowding around us 

 at the distance of a few yards, and looking as if they 

 had some kind of notion that we were of the same 

 species, or at least genus, with themselves. The 

 gambols in the water of my playful companions, 

 and their noise and merriment, seemed, to our ima- 

 gination, to excite them, and to make them course 

 round us with greater rapidity and animation. At 

 the same time, the slightest attempt on our part to 

 act on the offensive, by throwing at them a stone or 

 shell, was the signal for their instantaneous disap- 

 pearance, each, as it vanished, leaving the surface 

 of the water beautifully figured with a wavy suc- 

 cession of concentric circles." Nor must it be sup- 

 posed that it is only the inhabitants of these isles that 

 are thus amiable ; the same character belongs to some 

 of their antipodes, as mentioned in the following state- 

 ment of the missionary Cottaneo.* " Near the island 

 of* Lobos, in the river Plata, Sea- Wolves appear 

 in vast multitudes ; they meet the ship, and will 

 even hang to the sides by their paws, and seem to 

 stare at and admire the crew ; they then drop of?, 

 and return to their haunts." And, once more, 

 Weddeil remarks, " When we first visited Soutl 



First Letter of the Missionaries of Paraguay, apud Pennant, 

 Br, Quadrupeds. 



