494 FAMILY PHOCID^. 



Mr. Lloyd relates several well- attested instances of Seals mak- 

 ing long journeys on land, the most remarkable of which is the 

 following : He says, " ' During the winter of 1829,' so we read in 

 Jdgare Forbimdets TidsTcrift of 1832 and the truth of the story 

 is certified by the signature of several most respectable indi- 

 viduals ' a young Gray Seal took to the land from the Skarg^rd, 

 near the village of Grrono, and, striking into the forest in a 

 southerly direction, passed, in its way, the hamlets of Sund and 

 Wahlnas, the church and iron-forge of Leufsta, and the hamlets 

 of Elinge and Fahlandbo. Near the last-named it met with a 

 small river, then hard frozen over. This it followed for a while, 

 but was unable to find an opening in the ice. It then took to the 

 forest in a south-westerly direction to the Flo Lakes, in the par- 

 ish of Tegelsmora, where it was also unsuccessful in obtaining 

 access to water. Hence it proceeded south-east, crossing in its 

 progress the Lake Wika, in the parish of Film, on the opposite 

 side of which it pgain entered the forest, and finally entered the 

 hamlet of Andersbo, situated about three (English) miles from 

 Dannemora (the celebrated iron-mines), where it was overtaken 

 by its pursuers and kiUed. The peregrinations of this Seal are 

 believed to have occupied nearly a week, it being, as is imag- 

 ined, without nourishment of any kind ; and during which period 

 it must have gone over at least thirty (English) miles of country. 

 The ground, it should be remarked, was then covered with a 

 foot and a half, or more, of newly-fallen snow, which, no doubt, 

 very greatly facilitated the animal's movements.' " * 



The Sea-Elephants (genus Macrorhinus) are well known to re- 

 sort to the land for reproduction very much in the manner of 

 the Otaries or Eared Seals, but I have met with no very clear 

 statement of their manner of progression. Captain Scammon, 

 in his history of the Sea-Elephant of the California coast {M. an- 

 gustirostris^ Gill) gives the following account of their power of 

 movement on land : " When coming up out of the water they 

 were generally first seen near the line of surf; then crawling up 

 by degrees, frequently reclining as if to sleep ; again, moving 

 up or along the shore, apf)earing not content with their last rest- 

 ing-place. In this manner they would ascend the ravines, or 

 'low-downs,' half a mile or more, congregating by hundreds. 

 They are not so active on land as the seals ; but when excited 

 to inordinate exertion, their motions are quick, the whole body 



* The Game Birds and Wild Fowl of Sweden and Norway, 1867, p. 403. 



