34 



with him. Previous to being tamed, it bit its master furiously when 

 interfered with, but when subdued, it became quite mild, so that it 

 could be handled with all freedom. You might thrust the hand into its 

 mouth, and rest your head on that of the Seal. When its master called, 

 it answered, however distant it might be ; it looked round for him when 

 it did not see him, and on discovering him after an absence of a few 

 minutes, never failed to testify joy by a loud murmur. Some of its 

 accents were sweet and expressive, and seemed the language of pleasure 

 and delight. 



" The period between its several inspirations was very long, and in the 

 interval the nostrils were accurately closed, during which time they 

 appeared like two longitudinal slits on the end of the snout. The 

 creature opened them to make a strong expiration, which was immedi- 

 ately followed by an inspiration, after which it closed them as before ; 

 and often allowed two minutes to intervene without taking another 

 breath. The breathing was accompanied with a loud snuffling noise. 

 When drowsy, it did not promptly attend to its master, and it was only 

 by putting food under its very nose that it could be excited to its 

 accustomed energy and vivacity. It then raised its head and the upper 

 part of its body, supporting itself on its fore-paws, to the height of the 

 hand which held the fish ; for it was scarcely satisfied with any other 

 aliment, having a preference for carp, and still more for eels ; these, 

 though raw, were seasoned to its taste by rolling them in salt. It re- 

 quired about 30 fts. of these live fish every day ; it greedily swallowed 

 the eels entire, and even the carp which were first offered it, but, after 

 devouring two or three entire, it subjected them to some preparation 

 by crushing their heads with its teeth, then partially gutting them, and 

 concluded by gulping them head-foremost. This individual was 7 feet 

 long ; its skin was covered with a short, smooth, shining hair of a brown 

 colour, mixed with grey principally upon the neck and head, where it 

 was spotted ; the fur was thicker on the back and side than on the 

 belly, where there was a large white marking, which mounted up upon 

 the flanks. The nostrils were neither inclined nor were they placed as 

 in terrestrial quadrupeds, but extended vertically on the extremity of 

 the snout. The eyes were large, full, of a brown colour, and like those 

 of an ox." 



M. P. Cuvier furnishes in 1813 a detailed description of a female 

 Seal which was captured in 1811 ; from which memoir the following 

 short extracts are taken. " For two years it has been kept in a trough, 

 which scarcely exceeds its own dimensions, being only one foot longer, 

 and two feet broader than itself. It every day receiTes several pounds 

 of fresh- water fish, and usually spends nine or ten consecutive hours 

 in water ten- inches deep. At the close of the day the water is 

 removed, that the animal may be dry during the night, and, in spite of 

 this artificial mode of life, it enjoys excellent health. 



" The length of this animal is between seven and eight feet, and the 

 general form is very like that of the common Seal. Its colour in the 



