THE SEAL. 373 



not frequently disturbed ; and this is the time when the 

 hunters surprise them. The .Europeans who go into the 

 Greenland seas upon the whale-fishery, surround them with 

 nets, and knock them on the head ; but the Greenlanders, 

 who are unprovided with so expensive an apparatus, de- 

 stroy them in a different manner. One of these little men 

 paddles away in his boat, and when he sees a seal asleep 

 on the side of a rock, darts his lance, and that with such 

 unerring aim, that it never fails to bury its point in the ani- 

 mal's side. The seal, feeling itself wounded, instantly 

 plunges from the top of the rock, lance and all, into the sea, 

 and dives to the bottom ; but the lance has a bladder tied 

 to one end, which keeps buoyant, and resists the animal's 

 descent ; so that every time the seal rises to the top of the 

 water the Greenlander strikes it with his oar, until he at 

 last despatches it. JBut in our climate, the seals are much 

 more wary, and seldom suffer the hunters to come near 

 them. They are often seen upon the rocks of the Cornish 

 coast, basking in the sun, or upon the inaccessible cliffs, 

 left dry by the tide. There they continue, extremely 

 watchful, and never sleep long without moving ; seldom 

 longer than a minute ; for then they raise their heads, and 

 if they see no danger, they lie down again, raising and re- 

 clining their heads alternately, at intervals of about a mi- 

 nute each. The only method, therefore, that can be taken, 

 is to sho'ot them ; if they chance to escape, they hasten to- 

 wards the deep, flinging stones and dirt behind them as 

 they scramble along, and at the same time expressing their 

 pain, or their fears, by the most distressful cry ; if they 

 happen to be overtaken, they make a vigorous resistance 

 with their feet and teeth, till they are killed. 



The seal is taken for the sake of its skin, and for the 

 oil its fat yields. The former sells for about four shillings ; 

 and, when dressed, is very useful in covering trunks, ma- 

 king waistcoats, shot-pouches, and several other conve- 

 niences. The flesh of this animal formerly found' ; place at 



