THE MARINE CARNIVORA 199 



the raising of its head is a signal for a hail cf bullets ; otherwise 

 there are many stories showing that in former times seals have 

 often approached boats out of curiosity when loud talking was 

 going on. Music undoubtedly attracted them, and in captivity 

 seals seem to experience the greatest delight at the playing of 

 musical instruments. It has been related by an old writer in 

 connection with the fauna of the Orkney Islands that the seals 

 would swim directly to the shore when the church bells of Hoy 

 (in Orkney) were rung. They are extremely inquisitive animals, 

 and no doubt the unusualness of the sound attracts them as 

 much as any pleasure in the novel vibrations in their ears. And 

 as regards this point it is noteworthy that, although the seal is 

 quite unprovided with any ear conch (deemed so essential to 

 good hearing in other mammals) it is apparently most alive 

 to gradations of sound. 



Its brain case is large, the brain highly developed, and the 

 intelligence keen. It can become attached to a human being 

 as acutely as any dog. Indeed, in earlier times seals experienced 

 such a desire to consort with seafaring humanity as to have 

 attracted the attention of classical writers, and no doubt to have 

 given rise to most of the stories of mermaids. Any foolishness 

 of this kind has, of course, been promptly put a stop to during 

 the last century by the unflagging use of the rifle or any stout 

 piece of wood that came to hand. 



The common seal has a somewhat valuable skin, and provides 

 from the fat that surrounds its body a preparation of valuable 

 oil. The flesh even is edible. Apart from all these excuses, 

 of course it is a " wild animal." When caught on shore it is 

 entirely at man's mercy, and when bobbing about in the water 

 it is as good a mark for the rifle as an empty beer bottle. 

 Apart, therefore, from any inducements to use its skin for the 

 coats of motorists, or its oil for making soap, the joy of killing 

 it for the sake of killing is irresistible to yachtsmen, sportsmen, 

 and fishermen, and it is unlikely, therefore, that it will continue 

 to exist much longer as an inhabitant of British waters. But for 

 this craze for destruction we might have had seals all round the 



