S08 



A VOYAGE TO 



exerted themselves as fast as they could to get into the 

 water; and considering that they have nothing but a 

 pair of fins a little below the breast, and a long unwiel- 

 dy body and tail to drag after them, they made very 

 considerable speed. Some of our sailors got between 

 them and the water with clubs, which they had pro- 

 vided, and knocked down a number, a slight blow on 

 the end of the nose being sufficient for this purpose. In 

 those places where water was standing in the hollows of 

 the rock, there were great numbers of young seals hud- 

 dled together, resembling young whelps though much 

 larger. The sailors who had been laying about 

 them with indiscriminate fury, assailed these poor 

 creatures, who seemed imploring in a most piteous 

 manner for mercy. Seeing the harmless and inof- 

 fensive nature of this race, we were seized with 

 compassion, we hastened to put a stop to the carnage, 

 and resolved to select only a few of those that we 

 thought suited to our purposes. The smell was so 

 oflPensive that we were compelled in a short time, to 

 return to our boats. 



These are of the species called the ursine seal. 

 The males are called lions, from the resemblance of 

 the head and mane to that animal, as well as from 

 their hoarse noise. They are often seen with several 

 of their favorite females around them, basking on the 

 rock, but as soon as discovered, they roll themselves 

 into the water. Some of their habits are singular. 

 Each lion, like a grand sultan, has forty or fifty fe- 

 males. They live in distinct families of several hun- 

 dred. Each family occupies a particular part of the 

 island, upon which none of the others are suffered to 

 encroach; bloody battles sometimes ensue between dif- 



