Clafsl; SEAL. 73 



feals vary greatly in their marks and colors, and fome 

 have been found * entirely white. One that was 

 taken near Chefier, in May 1766, had on its fird cap- 

 ture, the body naked like the fein of a pc pefe ; and 

 only the head and a fmall fpot beneath each 

 fore leg, hairy ; it was kept alive fome time ; but 

 before it died, hair began to grow over the whole 

 body t- 



The feal is common on moll of the rocky fliores 

 oiGreai Britain and /r^/^W,erpecia]ly on the northern 

 coafts : in PVales it frequents the coails of Caernar- 

 vonjhire^ and Anglefey. 



We muft acknowledge the obligations we are un- 

 der to the reverend Mr. Farrington of Dims, in the 

 former county, for feveral learned communications ; 

 but in particular for the natural hlftory of this animal, 

 which we Ihall give the public in his own words. 



' The feals are natives of our coafts ; and are 

 ' found moft frequently between Lkyn in Caernar- 

 « vonjhire, and the northern parts o? Anglefey : they are 

 ' feen often towards Carrig y moelrhon, to the weft of 



* Bardfey, or ynys Enlli ; and the Skerries, com- 



* monly called in the Britijh language Tnys y moel- 

 « rhoniad, or feal ifland. The Latin name of this am- 

 < phibious animal is Phoca : the vulgar name is fea 



* calf •, and on that account, the male is called the 



* bull, and the female the cow ; but the Celtic appel- 

 ' lative is Moelrhon, from the word Moel, bald, or 

 ' without ears, and Rhon^ a fpear or lance. 



» In the AJhmokan Mu/eum at Oxford, is a good piflure of two white 

 feals. 



-j- Vide, The figure publiflied in the additional plates 0.'' the folio 

 edition of this work, 



- '-' - ^They 



