ORDER V. THE CARXIVORA.' 221 



feet in Icnn-tli, and two and a half feet in circumference; tlie common size is 

 two and a lialf feet long, witli a foot and a half in circumference. The 

 head is round, with a very short snout, and its physiognomy is agreeahle. 

 The whiskers arc long, simple, and black ; the ears are straight ; the neck 

 and chest are full. Its coat is soft and glossy, of a hrownish color, tending 

 to iron gray; the head is deeper colored ; the under part is nuich lighter, and 

 the feet are black. These seals are timid, social, and harndess animals, and, 

 after a short acquaintance, become fond of the society of man. i\Ir. Pagis 

 s.ays that he kept two of them for eight days. The first day he put sea- 

 water into their tub, one foot and a half deep, but as they seemed anxious 

 to .avoid it, he tried fresh water, ■which was not more agreeable. On coming 

 out of the water, they shook their coats like dogs; they sneezed, too, like 

 them, and scratched and cleaned tliemsclves with their snout, and lay down 

 close together, as dogs do. A^'hcn the sun shone they were left on the 

 ship's deck, and never seemed to wish to lea\e except when they saw the sea. 

 They not only scratched themselves and each other, but solicited that service 

 from the men, whom they followed with great familiarity, and smelt them 

 as dogs do. They hael a great aflcctiou for each otiier, and when separated, 

 immediately endeavored to meet. If one were taken up, the other was sure 

 to follow. As they did not appear to thrive in their confinement, they were 

 thrown into the sea, where they seemed to be much more at home. 



yl. Ursitia.'?. — The Sea Bear, or ITrsine Seal of Steller. This some- 

 what remarkable species is an inhabitant of the Northern Ocean, and consti- 

 tutes a very numerous family or group. The islands which lie off the north- 

 western limit of America appear to be its favorite haunts, where, at some 

 seasons of the year, vast multitudes of these animals completely cover the 

 shores and adjacent rocks. Steller has furnished some very curious informa- 

 tion in regard to them, a synopsis of whose very interesting description we 

 give below. Thcv derive their name from their strikinij resemblance to the 

 common bear. This likeness is seen especially in the head, also in the 

 mouth, which is small and prominent, in the forehead, which rises suddenly 

 towards the eyes, and in the possession of the nictitating membrane. The 

 eye is large as that of the ox, having the iris black and the pupil green. 

 The length of a full-grown .sea bear is about seven and a half feet. The 

 teeth are like those of tlie sea lion, but much smaller. It has four feet, suf- 

 ficiently developed to enable it to stand and walk like terrestrial animals, 

 though not with equal ease. The fore le"'s arc two feet long and eight inches 

 broad, terminating in long, wide, and powerful wcbljcd paws, which enable 

 the animal to elevate the ujiper portion of the body above the water, and 

 sustain it in an erect position. On the land, folding the hind feet under, and 

 reclining on tlie fore paws, it sits after the fashion of dogs. 



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