PIED SEAL. 
The Seal, or Phoca Vitulina of Linnaeus, 
is a genus of pinnated quadrupeds: viz. qua- 
drupeds having fin-like feet ; fore legs buried 
deep in the skin ; and hind legs pointing quite 
backwards. Of the Seal tribe, there are nu- 
merous species ; their genericalchara6ler being, 
that they have cutting teeth, with two canine 
teeth in each jaw ; five palmated toes on each 
foot; and a body thick at the shoulders, but 
tapering towards the tail. 
The ancients were acquainted with the Seal, 
under the name of Phoca; > and Aristotle pro- 
perly describes it to be of an ambiguous na- 
ture, intermediate between aquatic and terres- 
ti-ial animals. All, however, that the anci- 
■ents have written about the Phoca, BufFon is 
of opinion, must be referred to the Small 
Black Seal' of India and the Levant. Aris- 
totle could not have had any knowledge of the 
Great Seal of the Frozen Sea ; because, in his 
