136 THE VARIOUS ACCOUNTS , [1753. | 
or pale. The ead is described as resembling that of a seal, or 
that of a horse. It tapers to the nose of the animal, so that 
some witnesses declare it has a sharp snout, others, however, that 
its end is like that of a cow’s, or a horse’s head, it has a broad 
and high, but flattened forehead. The nostrils are large, but as 
they are not always seen, it is evident that the animal can close 
them like a seal; on the ps some stiff hairs or bristles are planted. 
The colour of the head, when wet, is dark brown, when dry, 
however, greyish, except round the mouth and the eyes, where it 
is almost black. The mouth is large and provided with ¢eeth. The 
eyes are large, sometimes described as being bluish and dull, 
sometimes black, glittering and brilliant, and sometimes reddish 
as a burning fire. We have already tried to explain these different 
statements. Its eye-brows are distinctly visible. Of the eck no 
particulars are observed except that it is long, round, and bears 
a mane, I should say like that of the Antarctic Sea-lions (Ofaria 
gubata) but much more developed. Its fore-fappers are broad and 
large, and have probably an mdented hind-edge, for Mr. Brine 
drew externally visible fingers. Of its send-flappers nothing is 
mentioned. There is a visible difference in thickness between the 
trunk and the very long tail of the animal: the body is not grad- 
ually growing smaller where the tail begins, but becomes small at 
once, and very distinctly. Here the animal’s hind-flappers must be 
placed. ‘he colour of the body is said to be a dark brown, spotted 
and with light streaks, or marked with distinctly visible light spots. 
It has an astonishing flexibility in the neck as well as in the trunk 
and in the tail. It can bend its body sideways and backwards, 
and undulate it up and down like a rope. When the animal bends 
till it is U- or horse-shoe shaped, the skin obtains many folds or 
wrinkles. The mode of swimming is mostly by vertical undulations , 
which are partly visible above the surface of the water; the end 
of the tail is always hidden under water when the animal swims. 
From afar the visible parts of the coils are said to resemble tuns, 
buoys, wine-barrels or hogsheads. The coils are either very large, 
and then 7 or 8 of them are visible, and a distance of a fathom 
is between each two coils, or they are very small, and then it is 
said that twenty-five of them are visible. This. is only to be explained 
by the degree of speed with which the animal undulates its body. 
For the same reason it also swims more or less swiftly; it may also 
swim with its body in a straight line, using in this case of course 
its flappers; this, however, happens very seldom; when swimming 
