HECTOR AND THE PHOCA. 435 



France. It is still not uncommon on the Scottish coast 

 and among the Northern and Western Isles. Readers 

 of Sir Walter Scott's " Antiquary " will remember the 

 appearance of an individual of the species we are de- 

 scribing in the neighbourhood of Fairport (that is, Ar- 

 broath), to the signal discomfiture of Hector M'Intyre, 

 the hero of the story, and the infinite amusement of the 

 erudite Oldbuck. 



" What is that yonder?" exclaimed Hector. 



" One of the herd of Proteus," said the Antiquary ; " a 

 phoca, or seal, lying asleep on" the beach." 



Whereupon, we are told, M'.Intyre snatched the walk- 

 ing-stick out of the hand of the astonished Antiquary, 

 at some risk of throwing him down, and set off at full 

 speed to get between the animal and the sea, to which 

 element, having caught the alarm, she was rapidly re- 

 treating. 



Not Sancho, when his master, Don Quixote, inter- 

 rupted his account of the combatants of Pentapolin with 

 the naked arm, to advance in person to the charge of the 

 flock of sheep, stood more confounded than Oldbuck at 

 this sudden escapade of his nephew. 



" Hector nephew fool let alone the pkoca, let alone 

 the phoca ! They bite, I tell you, like furies. He minds 

 me no more than a post. There there they are at it ; 

 and, look, the pliocob has the best of it ! I am glad to 

 see it," said he, in the bitterness of his heart, though 

 really alarmed for his nephew's safety ; "I am glad to 

 see it, with all my heart and spirit." 



In truth, the seal, finding her retreat intercepted by 

 the light-footed soldier, confronted him manfully, and 

 having sustained a heavy blow without injury, she 



