4 
The Scottish Naturalist, 
donald, who died about 8 years ago — at the lower end of Loch 
Shiel, and almost opposite the Rev. Father's house. The othvr 
instance dates further back, and is traditional of a large seal visit- 
ing the far end of Loch Shiel, near Glenfinnan, and shortly after 
being seen was shot upon a rock which bears to this day the name 
Sgeir nan roin (the seal's rock). Certain minor discrepancies ap- 
pear in the different accounts, but only such as rather tend to the 
proof of the general authenticity of the record. I am satisfied 
with this, after having weighed all the statements.^ 
Under date of Nov. 25th, 1890^ Dr. Duncan writes me as to 
the occurrence of the seal in Loch Shiel in which he tells me 
that he was unable to discover " more than vague rumours of 
their appearance in the past, and to discover that a certain rock 
some miles up Loch Shiel goes by the name of the Seal Rock. 
This year I was informed that a seal had been seen in Loch 
Shiel by many people for about a fortnight in the early part of 
September. I was present on the 25th of September at its 
descent of the River Shiel to the sea. I was fishing the 
upper part of the large pool below the bridge when it 
made its appearance in the centre, and passed down the stream. 
My brother-in-law — Captain Bishop Culpeper — was then fishing 
the 'Garrison pool 'about half-a-mile farther down^ and he also 
saw it swimming quietly downwards. There is, therefore, com- 
plete proof of the presence of one seal in the loch and river, and 
I have now no doubt that the rumours of others in past years are 
quite true." 
As I am discussing seals, it seems to me there are many facts 
relating to the Natural History of many of our British Mammals not 
yet recorded in books of authority. The following incident is 
worthy of record. In Sept., 1880, and again in Nov., 1888 — 
the latter in reply to my inquiries— my friend Mr. A. Burn- 
Murdoch wrote me concerning the curious behaviour of a seal in 
Loch Suinart. We quote from his last letter (13th Nov., 1888) : 
— Memory might be inaccurate, so I quote from my journal, 
written at the time. Sept. 19th, Sunday. — The carpenter 
tells me that after we went ashore on Friday morning, when we 
left him and Sandy Cameron, the shepherd, still fishing ' cuddies,' 
a seal took the ' cuddy ' that was on the hook. They let the rod go, 
^ Burt in his " Letters from the Highlands" (Ed. 1876; Vol. i et seq.) says, 
*'he watched seals in the tideway off Liverness Bridge." 
