SEA 



SEA-ytJrolal'C. See Astholabe. 



SEA-Banis. (See Bank.) Malicioiifly deftroyinsr fea- 

 banks, by which lands may be overflowed, is made felony 

 without benefit of clergy by 6 Geo. II. c. 25, and 

 10 Geo. II. c. ^2. 



SEA-Bal, in Ichthyology. See Chjetodon Vefpertilio. 



SEA-Bear, in Zoo/ogy, the Phoca urftna of Linnasus, called 

 alfo by fome writers the fea-cat, and by Pennant the urfitu- 

 feal, inhabits together with the fea-lion and manati, from 

 June to September, the ifles tliat are fcattered in the feas 

 between Kamtfchatka and America, in order to copulate, and 

 bring forth their young in full fecurity. In September 

 they quit their ilation in a very emaciated Itate ; iome return- 

 ing to the Afiatic, and others to the American (hores, but, 

 like the fea-otters, they are confined to thofe feas between 

 latitude 50° and 56°. Thefe animals are alfo common about 

 New Zealand, Staten-ifland, New Georgia, and the Falk- 

 land Iflands. 



The urfine feals lead, during the three months of fummer, 

 a very indolent life ; they are confined for feveral weeks to 

 the fame fpot, deep the greateft part of their time, eat 

 nothing, and are totally inactive, the employment of the 

 females in fuckling their young excepted. They live in 

 families, each male l-.aving from eight to fifty fen-.ak-5:, which 

 he guards with jealoufy ; and though they lie by tlioufr.nds 

 on the (hore, each family, conilfting fometimes of one hundred 

 and twenty, keeps itfelf feparate from the refl. 



The uld animals, which are deferted by the females, live 

 apart, and are exceedingly fplenetic and quarrelfome, very 

 fierce, and fo attached to their old haunts, that they would 

 die fooner than quit them ; in defending thefe, difcord is 

 fometimes fpread through the whole (hore. The other 

 males are alfo very irafcible, and the caufes of their difputes 

 are generally fuch as tliefe ; an attempt to feduce any of 

 their females, the intruiion of one upon the ilation of 

 another, and interference in their mutual quarrels. Their 

 battles are fevere and bloody, and when they terminate, 

 the combatants throw themfelves into the fea, to vvadi away 

 the blood. 



The males are very fond of their young, of which the 

 female generally brings but one at a time, and never more 

 than two : but they are very tyrannical towards the fe- 

 males, which, on the other hand, are very fawning and 

 fubmiflive. 



The fea-bears fwim very fwiftly, at the rate of feven miles 

 an hour ; when wounded will feize on the boat, bear it away 

 with impetuofity, and fometimes link it. They can continue 

 a long time under water. When they want to climb the 

 rocks, they fallen with the fore-paws, and draw themfelves 

 up. They are very tenacious of life, and will live for a 

 fortnight after receiving fuch wounds as would immediately 

 deftroy any other animal. 



The males of this fpecies are much larger than the females ; 

 their bodies are of a conical form, thick before, and taper- 

 ing to the tail ; the length of a large one is eight feet, the 

 greatell circumference five feet, and near the tail twenty 

 inches ; the weight Soolbs. ; the nofe projefts like that of a 

 pug dog, but the head riles fuddenly ; the noflrils are oval, 

 divided by a feptum ; the lips thick, and in the infide red 

 and ferrated ; the whifl<ers long and white ; the teeth, which 

 are thirty-fix in number, lock into each other when the 

 mouth is clofed ; the tongue bifid ; the eyes are large and 

 prominent, and capable of being covered at pleafure with a 

 flelhy membrane ; the cars are fmall and (liarp-pointed ; the 

 length of the fore-legs is twenty-four inches ; the feet are 

 formed with toes, but covered witli a naked Ikin, fo as en- 

 tirely to appear a (hapelefs mafs : the hind-legs are twenty- 



SEA 



two inches long, and fixed to the body behind, but capa- 

 ble of being brought forward, and the feet are divided into 

 five toes ; the tail is only two inches long ; the hair is long 

 and rough, under which is a foft down of a bay colour ; 

 the general colour of thefe animals is black, but the hairs of 

 the old ones are tipt with grey. The females are cinereous. 

 The fkins of the young, cut out of the bellies of their dams, 

 are ufeful for clothing. 



The fat and flefli of the old males are very nanfeous, but 

 the fle(h of the females refembles lamb, and the young ones 

 roaftcd are as good as fucking-pigs. Pennant's Hill. Quad. 

 vol. ii. p. 526, &c. See Phoca Urftna. 



SEA-Bt/iei. See Bisket. 



SEA-Boat, in Naval Language, a vedel that bears the fea 

 firmly, without labouring heavily, or llraining her mads or 

 rigging. 



SKA-Brtaches, a term ufed by the farmers to cxprefs the 

 overflowing of their low lands near the fea by the fea- 

 water. 



Sea-falt, moderately ufed, is a great improvement to all 

 lands, but too much of it kills all forts of vegetables, 

 except fuch as nature has intended to live among it. See 

 Salt. 



The fea breaking in upon lands thus, injures them greatly. 

 The owner is to flop the breach by which it entered with all 

 poffihle diligence, and then trenches and drains muft be cut 

 through all parts of the land to carry the falt-water into 

 fome one low place, from which it may be emptied by means 

 of an engine ; or if it be fmall in quantity, it may be laded 

 out by hand over the bank ; or if yet lefs, the fun and winds 

 may dry it away ; but in either cafe, the place where it was 

 fuffered to refl muft be covered with a large quantity of frcfh 

 earth, to take off from the too great ialtnefs of the other ; 

 and the whole land fhould be ploughed for three or four years, 

 to let in the rains and air to frcfhen it. 



SEA-Bream, in Ichthyology, the Englifli name for thefifh 

 called by the generality of authors the pagrut and phagrus. 

 According to the new fyllem of Artedi, it is a fpecies of 

 ihe/pari, and is diflinguifhed by the name of the redfparus, 

 with the flcin carried into a finus at the roots of the back 

 fins, and the pinna ani. See Sparcs. 



SEA-Bucilhorn, in Botany. See Hippophae. 



SEA-Britf, in Marine Infiirance. See SsA-Letter. 



SEA-Caiiage, in Gardening, the common name of an ufe- 

 ful garden plant. See Bkassica and Ckambe. See alfo 

 SEA-Kale. 



SEA-Calf, Phoca ■vilulina in tiie Linnaean fyllem of 

 Zoology, is the common feal, with large black eyes, large 

 \vhifl<ers, oblong nollnls, flat head and nofe, tongue forked 

 at the end, two canine teeth in each jaw, fix cutting teeth 

 in the upper jaw, four in the lower, no external ears, body 

 covered with thick fliort hair, (hort tail, and toes furnilhed 

 with ftrong (harp claws ; its ufual length is from five to fix 

 feet ; the colour various ; dufliy, brindled, or fpotted with 

 white or yellow. This fpecies inhabits moft quarters of the 

 globe, but is found iu greateft number towards the north and 

 fouth ; they fwarm near the ArAic circle, and the lower parts 

 of South America, in both oceans near the fouthern end of 

 Terra del Fuego, and among the floating ice as low as lat. 

 6o''2i'S. 



They are alfo found in the Cafpian fea, in the lake Aral, 

 and lakes Baikal and Oran, which are frefh waters, but 

 thefe are lefs, and more fat than thofe of the falt-water. 

 Seals bring forth two young at a time in autumn, which 

 are for a (hort time white and woolly, and fuckle them till 

 they are fix or feven weeks old in rocks or caverns, when 

 they take to fea ; as they cannot remain long under water, 



they 



