MAMMALS. 71 



us : "I have shot a good many seals of various colours and sizes, 

 some a dusky red, some a dark mottled grey, a few very light 

 grey, with streaks of white. One was a very old seal, nearly 

 white, whose teeth were worn away, and drops of lead 1 had 

 apparently been imbedded in his head and neck for years. 

 The skin was very pretty, but the oil (? blubber) was scant and 

 thin like grease. He measured 9 feet in length. 



" I have got Common Seals from 5 to 9 feet long, and Great 

 Seals from 9 to 12 feet in length. About twenty-five years ago 

 I observed one with the largest head I ever saw, about 200 

 yards from land. I struck him with a ball and wounded him. 

 About a fortnight after, he was found ashore at Elsness by a 

 farm servant, who afterwards informed me that the * selkie ' 

 was as big as a large horse, and measured 15 feet long, and that 

 he got about 12 gallons of oil from it." 



" The Great Seal used to be frequently killed on the * Selky ' 

 skerry, lying north of the island of N. Eonaldsay; they are 

 there called Orkenies." 



Harvie-Brown visited this skerry in July 1889, and saw 

 several Grey Seals in the water, but none on shore, as some 

 boats had just passed the skerry and disturbed them. 



Mr. Moodie-Heddle says that this last winter (1889-90) 

 several Grey Seals came ashore, dead, on the Firth side of Hoy, 

 along with multitudes of Cormorants, Auks, etc., apparently 

 from want of food. 



The same gentleman has had the young of this species 

 tame, and says they are very faithful and fond of following 

 their owners about, but he does not consider them as intelligent 

 as P. vitulina. 



Cystophora cristata (Erxl). Hooded Seal. 



[06s. Besides what Messrs. Baikie and Heddle say as to the 

 reputed occurrence of the Hooded Seal in Kousay and Papa 

 Westray, Mr. Moodie-Heddle's father mentioned that he once 

 or twice saw what he took for this seal at a little distance. 

 We prefer to keep this in brackets for the present, as, had a 



1 Anglicd, shot. 



