226 ELEPHANT SEAL. 



length. On another occasion, when some of these 

 animals were approached, two of our young people 

 amused themselves by throwing large pebbles into 

 their gaping mouths, which they swallowed as we 

 would have done strawberries. They move with 

 great difficulty, though their head and neck have 

 ready play. It would not be safe to go close to 

 their lair, as they might cut a man in two at a 

 single bite. Their eyes are the most beautiful in 

 the world, and their aspect is not at all ferocious. 

 The colour of some of them is white, others are 

 dun-coloured, but most are of the same hues as 

 the beaver ; a few were like the light hind."* 



We shall close our account of these gigantic 

 amphibia by a few sentences from Weddell. The 

 inactivity and extreme lethargy of those Seals when 

 on shore is astonishingly contrasted with their saga- 

 city and agility when at sea. They have been 

 known to keep a boat from landing, by intercepting 

 it in the water, when the crew had no fire-arms ; 

 and frequently when one is pricked with a lance, it 

 will attack the boat with the greatest ferocity. It 

 is curious to remark that the Sea- Elephant, when 

 lying on the shore, and threatened with death, will 

 often make no effort to escape into the water, but 

 will lie and shed tears, merely raising its head and 

 looking at its assailant. In close contest every 



More ample details will be found in Voy. aui Malloun, t. ii. 

 p. 40. 



