igO THE URSINE SEAL. 



than that afforded - by some of the emaciated 

 dams *. 



The Seals eat their prey beneath the water. 

 When they are devouring any oily fish, the place 

 may be easily rem.arked by the smoothness of the 

 waves immediately above -f-.-— The flesh of Seals 

 formerly found a place at the tables of the great in 

 our country ; as appears from the bill of fare of that 

 vast feast which Archbishop Nevill gave in the reign 

 of Edward the Fourth :j:. 



The Icelanders have a strange superstition respect-i 

 ing these animals. They believe them to resemble 

 the human species more than any other creature; and 

 that they are the offspring of Fliaroah and his host, 

 who were converted into Seals when they were 

 overwhelmed in the Red Sea, 



THE URSINE SEAL §. 



The Ursine Seals are inhabitants of the islands ia 

 the neighbourhood of Kamtschatka, Here they 

 are seen from June to September, during which 

 time they breed and educate their young. They 

 are said then, to quit their stations, and return, some 

 to the Asiatic, and some to the American shore, ge- 

 nerally however keeping between lat. 50 and 56. 



The males are about eight feet in length, but the 

 females are m.uch smaller. Their bodies are thick, 

 dccrcasina: somewhat towards the tail. The nose 



.* Penn. Brit. Zool. i. 142, 14^. t ll'id- i- 130. X ^^^id. i. 141. 

 5 Synonyms. — Fjioca Ursina. Liiu}. — Sea Cut. Critvc. — Ursine 

 Seal. Pc/au S/ia-::;'s Gen. Zool. pi. 72. 



