94 PRODUCTS OF THE 



ing them ; on which account they were of so little 

 value as to be almost neglected."* Now, the inquiry 

 here suggests itself, If there was a time when our 

 artizans could not, and did not, dress this skin when 

 put into their hands, and when Naturalists knew 

 little or nothing specifically about the true fur- Seal, 

 may it not happen that there are other Seals whose 

 fur is really as valuable, and which might now be 

 turned to a similar profit? In our account of the 

 Falklandica, we have given a description of the 

 method by which the fur- Seal-skin is prepared, 

 apparently sufficiently simple ; and we have, more- 

 over, given the opinion of an eminent Natural- 

 ist, (an opinion in which we could not concur,) 

 that the Ursine Seal is the true source whence 

 this valuable product is derived. But be this as it 

 may, the following statements should not be over- 

 looked, viz. " That the Americans regard many Seals 

 as fur-Seals, which are unknown to Naturalists, 

 and quite distinct. Thus, according to them, the 

 fur-Seal of Patagonia has a bump behind its head; 

 that of California is of very large dimensions ; the 

 Upland Seal, or that which retreats far from shore, 

 is small, and exclusively inhabits the Macquarrie 

 Islands and Pennantipodes ; and, finally, that of the 

 South of New Zealand has other and distinct charac- 

 ters."f The truth then may be, that many Seals 

 produce, in high perfection, that article which is 



* Weddell, 53. 



t Lesson, in Diet. Clas. t. xixi. 



