THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 217 



furnished with external ears, of which the others are 

 deprived. That which is by eminence called the 

 Fur-Seal {Otaria Falklandica) is clothed externally 

 with long hair of a grey hue ; but when tliis hair is 

 pulled out, there is seen a thick fur of great softness, 

 curly or wavy, and of a fine yellowish brown. The 

 habits of this animal are in general similar to those 

 of the Sea-Elephant just described : it is, however, 

 much more active on land, often escaping from a 

 man running. Its history affords us an instance of 

 change of instincts produced by experience. When 

 the Seals of South Shetland were first visited, they 

 had no apprehension of danger from man : but would 

 unsuspectingly remain while their fellows were slain 

 and skinned ; but latterly they have learned to guard 

 against tlie new dangers, by placing themselves on 

 insulated rocks, from which they can in a moment 

 throw themselves into the water. AVe may form a 

 notion of the zeal with which this commercial enter- 

 prise was prosecuted, as well as of its valuable 

 character if it had been pursued with prudent re- 

 strictions, from the fact that in the years 1821 and 

 1822, there were taken from the South Shetland Isles, 

 320,000 skins of Fur Seals, and 940 tuns of Sea- 

 elephant oil. The former valuable animal might, 

 by proper precautions, have been made to produce 

 100,000 skins annually lor a long time to come. 

 "This would have followed from not killing the 

 mothers till the young were able to take the water; 

 and even then, only those which appeared to be old, 

 together with a proportion of the males, thereby 

 diminishing tlieir total number, but in slow progres- 



