OBSERVATIONS 



DISTINCTIONS, HISTORY, AND HUNTING OF 

 SEALS IN THE SHETLAND ISLANDS. 



By LAWRENCE EDMONDSTON, M. D. 



Balta Sound, 30th October 1837. 



Considerable obscurity seems yet to attach to the his- 

 tory and distinctions of British Seals. The coasts of Shet- 

 land are rather numerously frequented by two species of 

 this family, and afford every desirable facility for accurate 

 acquaintance with them. Being a native of Shetland, and 

 having been for more than twenty years actively engaged 

 in hunting these animals, both as a sportsman and zoolo- 

 gist, it has occurred to me that perhaps I might be able to 

 furnish some facts and views to elucidate our knowledge of 

 them, which are not within the reach of many naturalists. 

 These shall be the subject of this paper. 



The remote situation of this country deprives me of the 

 advantage of consulting authors who have made the Pho- 

 cidae their especial study, and hence, much of what I shall 



VOL. VIII. A 



