Class I. COMMON SEAL. 17.-5 



mouths of the caverns about mid-night, and 

 rowing up as far as they can, they land ; each of 

 them being provided with a bludgeon, and pro- 

 perly stationed, light their torches, and make a 

 great noise, which brings down the seals from 

 the farther end in a confused body with fearful 

 shrieks and cries; at first the men are obliged 

 to give way for fear of being over-borne, but 

 when the first crowd is past, they kill as many 

 as straggle behind, chiefly the young, by striking 

 them on the nose; a very slight blow on that. 

 part dispatches them. When the work is over, 

 they drag the seals to the boat, which two men 

 are left to guard. This is a most hazardous 

 employ, for should their torches go out, or the 

 wind blow hard from the sea during their con- 

 tinuance in the cave, their lives are lost. The 

 seals of six weeks old, yield more oil than their 

 emaciated dams ; above eight gallons have been 

 procured from a single whelp, which sells from 

 six-pence to nine-pence per gallon; the skins 

 from six-pence to twelve-pence. 



The natural history of this animal may be fur- 

 ther elucidated, by the following extracts from a 

 letter of the Rev. Dr. William Borlase, dated 

 October the 24th, 1763. 



■ The seals are seen in the greatest plenty on 

 c the shores of Cornwall, in the months of May. 



