92 PRODUCTS OF THE 



derneath it a soft and downy fur. The majority, 

 we believe, are to be considered merely as hair- 

 skins, similar to the bear or sable; and of these 

 some are excellent of their kind, and are much 

 prized. 



But the finest of the hair- Seal-skins yields in 

 value and importance to the other variety, the fur- 

 Seal-skin. This fact is thus alluded to in the last 

 edition of the Encyclopaedia Britanriica : " From 

 about the year 1806 till 1823, an extensive trade 

 was carried on in the South Seas in procuring Seal- 

 skins, which in that part of the world are covered 

 with a fine fur. These were obtained in vast abun- 

 dance by the first traders, and yielded a very large 

 profit." The remark we have just made that hair 

 and fur are frequently both present, is as applicable 

 to the fur-Seals, as to the others. But the question 

 here occurs, which are the fur- Seals? and that in- 

 telligent mariner we have so often quoted, and who 

 was so largely engaged in this trade, declares that 

 Naturalists know nothing about it. Mr Weddell 

 invariably speaks of the fur-Seal as one species 

 (the Falklandica) distinct from all others. He re- 

 marks, " The circumstance of its possessing a 

 valuable fur has not been noticed in any description 

 of the Seal with which I have met," (pp. 137, 142,) 

 We have probably, on this point, made a somewhat 

 more extended survey of the works of Naturalists 

 than this intrepid sailor could do, and our examina- 

 tion quite corroborates his. We have not discovered 

 that this, or any other species, has been distinguished 



