392 



AMPHIBIOUS QUADRUPEDS. 



by surprise. In the winter, when the frosts 

 are very severe, they sometimes break a large 

 hole in the ice ; and when the beavers resort 

 thither for the benefit of a little fresh air, 

 they either kill them with their hatchets, or 

 cover them with a large substantial net. Af- 

 ter this, they undermine and subvert the 

 whole fabric; whereupon the beavers, in 

 hopes to make their escape in the usual way, 

 fly with the utmost precipitation to the water; 

 and plunging into the aperture, fall directly 

 into the net, and are inevitably taken. 



THE SEAL. 



EVERY step we proceed in the description 

 of amphibious quadrupeds, we make nearer 

 advances to the tribe of fishes. We first ob- 

 served the otter with its feet webbed, and 

 formed for an aquatic life ; we next saw the 

 beaver with the hinder parts covered with 

 scales, resembling those of fishes; and we 

 now come to a class of animals in which the 

 shape and habitude of fishes still more ap- 

 parently prevail, and whose internal confor- 

 mation attaches them very closely to the wa- 

 ter. The seal, in general, resembles a quad- 

 ruped in some respects, and a fish in others. 

 The head is round, like that of a man ; the 

 nose broad, like that of the otter; the teeth 

 like those of a dog ; the eyes large and spark- 

 ling; no external ears, but holes that serve 

 for that purpose; the neck is well propor- 

 tioned, and of a moderate length ; but the 

 body thickest where the neck is joined to it. 

 From thence the animal tapers down to the 

 tail, growing all the way smaller like a fish. 

 .The whole body is covered with a thick, 

 bristly shining hair, which looks as if it were 

 entirely rubbed over with oil ; and thus far 

 the quadruped prevails over the aquatic. 

 But it is in the feet that this animal greatly 

 differs from all the rest of the quadruped 

 kind; for though furnished with the same 

 number of bones with other quadrupeds, yet 

 they are so stuck on the body, and so cover- 

 ed with a membrane, that they more resem- 

 ble fins than feet ; and might be taken for 

 such, did not the claws with which they are 

 pointed show their proper analogy. In the 

 fore feet, or rather hands, all the arm and 



the cubit are hid under the skin, and nothing 

 appears but the hand from the wrist down- 

 wards; so that if we imagine a child with its 

 arms swathed down, and nothing appearing 

 but its hands at each side of the body, to- 

 wards the breast, we may have some idea of 

 the formation of this animal in that part. 

 These hands are covered in a thick skin, 

 which serves like a fin for swimming; and 

 are distinguished by five claws, which are 

 long, black, and piercing. As to Ihe hind 

 feet, they are. stretched out on each side of 

 the short tail, covered with a hairy skin like 

 the former, and both together almost joining 

 at the tail ; the whole looks like the broad, 

 flat tail of a fish; and, were it not for five 

 claws which appear, might be considered as 

 such. The dimensions of this animal are 

 various, being found from four feet long to 

 nine. They differ also in their colours ; 

 some being black, others spotted, some white, 

 and many more yellow. It would, therefore, 

 be almost endless to mention the varieties of 

 this animal. Buffbn describes three; and 

 Krantz mentions five, all different from those 

 described by the other. I might, were I fond 

 of such honours, claim the merit of being a 

 first describer myself ; but, in fact, the varie- 

 ties in this animal are so many, that were 

 they all described, the catalogue would be 

 as extensive as it would be useless and un- 

 entertaining. It is sufficient to observe, that 

 they agree in the general external characters 

 already mentioned, and internally in two or 

 three more, which are so remarkable as to 

 deserve peculiar attention. 



It has been often remarked, that all ani- 

 mals are sagacious in proportion to the size 

 of their brain. It has, in support of this 

 opinion, been alleged, that man, with respect 

 to his bulk, has, of all others, the largest. In 

 pursuance of this assumption, some erroneous 

 speculations have been formed. But, were 

 the size of the brain to determine the quantity 

 of the understanding, the seal would, of all 

 other animals, be the most sagacious; for it 

 has, in proportion, the largest brain of any, 

 even man himself not excepted. However, 

 this animal is possessed of but very few ad- 

 vantages over other quadrupeds; and the size 

 of its brain furnishes it with few powers that 

 contribute to its wisdom or its preservation 



