THE SEAL. 375 



to the occiput and the attachment of the neck, the skin 

 was separated from the adjacent flesh by a considerable 

 mass of vessels, or, in other words, by a sort of erectile 

 tissue ; an appearance which leads us to think that the 

 skin in this region was susceptible of reflection, and, con- 

 sequently, of covering the head more or less, as far per- 

 haps as the eyes, as is said of the Capuchin Seal." 



The dimensions, the habits, and even the locality of this 

 singular species, seem nearly to be unknown ; the only ' 

 gleanings we have detected being the following : " One 

 species." says Crantz, " has a thick folded skin upon its 

 forehead, which it can draw down over its eyes, like a 

 cap, to defend them against the storms, waves, stones, and 

 sand ; it has a short, thick, black wool under its white 

 hair, which gives it a beautiful gray color." 



FUR SEAL OF COMMERCE. 



This Seal, is long and slender, having much the 

 shape of a double cone, largest at the middle, and 

 tapering at the extremities. The head is broad, and 

 rather flat ; the external ear is black, narrow pointed, and 

 projecting backwards. The fore-paws are precisely in the 

 middle of the body, their shape is pyramidal, and in'addi- 

 tion to the paw properly so called, there is a long project- 

 ing membrane running from the tip along the posterior 

 margin to the base : they have no vestige of nails. The 

 hind flippers are rhomboidal in their shape, and consist of 

 the usual fleshy portion, and a membranous one, which at 

 its termination is divided into five straps ; there are nails 

 on all the toes but the great one, those of the three middle 

 being much the largest, and quite straight ; there is a cu- 

 rious slashing at the junction of the common skin and the 

 membrane, the skin covered with hair descending to the 

 nail, whilst the membrane runs up between the toes more 



