88 NATURAL HISTORY. 



they frequent, but the older arid stronger animals are shot or 

 knocked down with clubs when they attempt to scramble into 

 the sea, as a blow on the nose instantly disables them. 



The fore-feet of the Seal are used as iins, and the two hinder 

 feet almost as the tail of a fish, to assist and direct its course. 

 On land the movements of this animal are very clumsy ; it 

 shuffles along by means of its fore-feet, or rather paddles, and 

 drags its hind-feet after it. 



This seal, when taken young, is easily tamed. Edmonston 

 gives an amusing account of a seal named Finna, which he 

 kept for about six months. " "We had her carried down daily 

 in a hand-barrow to the sea-side, where an old excavation 

 admitting the salt-water was abundantly roomy and deep for 

 her recreation and our observation. After sporting and 

 diving for som3 time, she would come ashore, and seemed 

 perfectly to understand the use of the barrow. Often she 

 tried to waddle from the house to the water, or from the 

 latter to her apartment ; but finding this fatiguing, and seeing 

 preparations by her chairmen, she would of her own accord 

 mount her palanquin, and thus be carried as composedly as 

 any Hindoo princess." This interesting animal, after, living 

 in the house lor about six months, at last was decoyed away 

 by sorn3 wild seals and did not return again. A young seal 

 was tani3d by the guard of a small island in the Frith of 

 Forth above Edinburgh. It seemed quite to consider itself 

 one of the party, would accompany their boat across the 

 water, and when the vessel was made fast, it used to take its 

 station inside, and watch until the owners returned. It had 

 the playful manners of a water-dog, and would snatch a stick 

 from its master's hand and dash into the sea with it, where it 

 would toss and tumble about, sometimes approaching close 

 to the shore, and swimming off again when its master attempted 

 to grasp the stick, but it invariably brought back whatever it 

 had taken. It would also bring fish out of the water and give 

 them to its owners. 



The length of the Common Seal is about four or five feet, 

 and its weight often two hundred and twenty-four pounds. 

 When surprised basking on the shore, it scrambles off towards 

 the water ; but if intercepted, dashes at its antagonist, oversets 

 him if possible, and makes its escape as fast as it can. 



