Class I. COMMON SEAL. 175 



sleep on rocks surrounded by the sea, or on 

 the less accessible parts of our cliffs, left 

 dry by the ebb of the tide, and if disturbed 

 by any thing, take care to tumble over the 

 rocks into the sea. They are extremely 

 watchful, and never sleep long without mov- 

 ing ; seldom longer than a minute ; then raise 

 their heads, and if they hear or see nothing 

 more than ordinary, lie down again, and so 

 on, raising their heads a little, and reclining 

 them alternately, in about a minute's time. 

 Nature seems to have given them this pre- 

 caution, as being unprovided with auricles, or 

 external ears ; and consequently not hearing ~ ■ . 

 ' very quick, nor from any great distance.' 



In Sir R. Sihbald's history of Scotland, we 

 find an account of another species of the seal ' " 

 kind, which is copied from Boethiiis. The ani- 

 mal he mentions is the sea-horse,* JValriis or 

 Morse: as this vast creature is found in the 

 Norwegian seas, we think it not improbable but 

 that it may have appeared on the Scottish 

 coasts, but having no better authority for it, 

 than what is above-mentioned, we dare not give 

 it a place in a British Zoology. The teeth of 

 that animal are as white and hard as ivory ; but 



Hist. quad. 468. ii- p. Sf)6. Arct. Zool i. iGS 



