THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. g t 



skins annually into the market. But America sends us 

 about 20,000, and of these we sell about 16,000 to other 

 countries. 



The Soa Otter conducts us a step nearer still to 

 Seals, for it lives almost entirely in the water. It is a 

 native of Behring's Straits and the neighbouring regions, 

 frequenting the sea-washed rocks. The animal is very 

 scarce, and its skin is much prized ; it is jet black, with a 

 silvery appearance at the end of each hair. A fine skin 

 of the sea otter costs about forty pounds, and a muff of it 

 costs twenty-five guineas. 



Amphibious Carnivora are adapted for life in 

 water; in fact, they seldom come on shore but to lie in the 

 sun, or to nurture their young. They may be divided into 

 Seals and Morses. 



From the engraving of the Seal (Fig. 40), you will see 

 that these are absolutely four-footed animals, with 

 shoulder-blades, arms, legs, fingers, and toes just the 

 same as other quadrupeds. Like the Whale, the Seal has 

 its front paws covered with flesh and skin ; but you will 

 remember that the Whale has only front limbs, and not 

 any hinder ones, whilst the Seals have hind feet perfectly 

 formed, bending backwards. 



The Seals are most docile and affectionate, resembling 

 dogs in the expression of their faces, and also in their mild 

 disposition. They exist in the Arctic Seas, and form the 

 principal support of the Grcenlanders and Esquimaux, 

 who eat their flesh, and use their fat for both lamps 

 and fires : they cover, firstly their bodies, and then their 

 boats with the skins, and sew with the fibres ; they even 

 use the intestines for numerous purposes. We import 

 about 600,000 or more seal-skins into this country, and 

 as recently " seal-skin jackets " have become fashionable 

 amongst ladies, we shall, no doubt, soon require many 

 more. The teeth of Seals are sharp and jagged, their 1 



