THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST 



79 



383. Podiceps Australis. Gld. Australian Tippet Grebe. 



384. „ nestor. Gld. Hoary-lieaded „ 



385. „ gularis. Gld. Black-throated „ 



386. Chrysocoma catarractes. Bon. Crested Penguin. 



387. Eudjptula minor. Bon. Little „ 



388. „ undina. Gld. Fairy „ 



889. Tachypetes aquilus. Linn. Frigate Bird (occasional). 



890. Glareola grallaria. Temm. Australian Pratincole (occa- 



sional). 



97. Eead Menura for Moniira. 



132. ,, Campestria for Capestris. 



154. „ Obongh for Cough. 



188, 1, Sanguineolenta lor Sanguinolenta. 



AI^ECDOTES OF SEALS. 

 By T. A. Fgrbes-Leith. 



Some years ago I was going down an arm of the sea in a boat, on 

 the west coast of Scotland, with a fisherman, for the purpose of 

 sea-fishing, when a seal put up its head and took a look at us. The 

 fisherman said to me : ''If you will sit perfectly still, I will bring 

 the seal close up to the boat.^' He then began to whistle a tune, 

 nnd up came the seal nearer, and took another look at ns. This it 

 did several times, being nearer the boat each time ; and the last 

 time it came up cl(>se to us, took a long gaze, and then vanished 

 altogether ; after vdiich the fisherman said to me : " Do you know, 

 sir, they are very fond of music ; and I once caught one by that 

 means. Myself and some others were in a boat near here, going as 

 -we are now, to fish. We had a fiddler with us, who was playing 

 the violin, when, all of a sudden, a seal raised itself up out of the 

 water, and appeared fascinated, going down from time to time and 

 appearing again, till at last it came up and stood erect close along- 

 side of the boat, when T threw my arms round it, and pulled it down 

 into the boat. We then knocked it on the head." 



The following anecdote was related to me by the chief mate of one 

 our wool ships, who was, at the time of the occurrence, on the spot. 

 But first, let me say that those who know anything about seals, must 

 have remarked their wonderful eyes. When they look at you, one would 

 be led to think thi t they were about to speak, after having, as it 

 were, searched the inmost and deepest caverns of the regions of 

 thought, and fathomed the depths of the mysterious and obscure 

 seat of that wonde? of wonders, the human mind. 



A man who owned the salmon fisheries, or, I should rather say, 

 rented them, a few years ago, on the far north-east coast of Scot- 

 land, had been much troubled by the daring depredations of a seal, 



