SEA 
Seal in purfuit of a mullet, that (Irong and fwift 
fifh. The Seal turned it to and fro in deep wa- 
ter, as a greyhound does a hare: the mullet at laft 
found it had no way for efcape but by running 
into Ihoal water; the Seal purfued; and the form- 
er, to get more fecurely out of danger, threw it- 
felf on it's fide, by which means it darted into 
fhoaler water than it could have fwam in with the 
depth of it's paunch and fins, and fo efcaped.' 
The Seal brings forth her young about the be- 
ginning of autumn : and our fifhermen have fome- 
times feen two fucking their dam at the fame 
time, as fhe flood in the fea in a perpendicular 
pofition. 
In the adt of fwimming, their heads are always 
kbove water, more fo than thofe of dogs. They 
generally fleep on rocks furrounded by the fea; 
and, if diflurbed, inftantly tumble themielves into 
the water. They are extremely watchful, feldom 
fleeping above one minute at a time : they then 
raife their heads; and, if they hear or fee nothing 
more than ordinary, lie down again ; and fo on, 
railing their heads a little and reclining them al- 
ternately. Nature feems to have endued them 
with this precaution, as being unprovided with 
external ears; and confequently neither hearing 
quickly, nor from any great diflance. 
Seal, Mediterranean. This fpecies, which 
was firfl" defcribed by Herman, is upwards of eight 
feet long; and it's greatefl circumference is five 
feet. The head is fmall; the neck is longer than 
that of the common Seal; the orifices of the ears 
are very minute; the hair is fhort and rude; the 
colour is dufky, fpotted with cinereous; and there 
is a tawny fpot above the navel. The toes on the 
fore-feet are furnifhed with nails; but the hind- 
feet are pinniform, and deflitute of nails. When 
this animal lies on it's back, the fkin of it's neck 
folds like a monk's hood. 
This fpecies inhabits the Mediterranean, and 
has not hitherto been difcovered in the ocean. 
Seal, Falkland Isle. This animal is about 
four feet long; it's nofe is fhort, befet with flrong 
black briflles; and it's auricles are fliort, narrow, 
and pointed. The upper cutting-teeth are ful- 
cated tranfverfelv ; the lower in an oppofite direc- 
tion. On each fide of the canine teeth there is a 
lefTer or fecondary one; and the grinders are co- 
noid, with a fmall procefs on each fide near the 
bafe. The fore-feet are deflitute of claws ; but 
beneath the flvin there are evident marks of the 
bones of five toes. The toes of the hind-legs 
are furniflied with four long ftraight claws, but 
the flcin extending far beyond, gives them a pin- 
niform appearance; and the hair, which is fhort, 
is of a cinereous colour tipped with a dirty white. 
It is probable that this fpecies alfo inhabits the 
ieas about Juan Fernandez ; for Don Uiloa men- 
tions a kind of Seal which nearly refembles it in 
fize. Small Seals are found from the Falkland 
Ifles round Cape Horn as far as New Zealand, 
and farther from fhore than any other kinds. 
They are all extremely fportive, dipping up and 
down like porpoifes: they alfo go on in a pro- 
greffive courfe like thofe fiflies; and, when afleep, 
one fin generally appears above the water. 
Seal, Leporine. This animal inhabits the 
White Sea during fummer, afcending and de- 
fcending the rivers in queil of prey. It is alfo 
found off" Iceland, and from Spitzbergen to the 
Tchutkinofs. 
The fur of this Seal is foft, like that of a hare. 
SEA 
and of a dirty wliite colour; the whifkers are fo- 
long and. thick, that the animal appears as if 
bearded ; the head is long; the upper lip is thick; 
above are four cutting-teeth, and the fame num- 
ber below ; and both the fore and hind feet are 
furnifhed with nails. 
The ufual length of this creature is fix feet and 
a half; and it's greatefl circumference is five feet 
two inches. 
Seal, Great. This fpecies, to which BufFon 
gives the name of the great Sea-calf, refembles 
the comm.on Seal, but grows to the enormous 
length of twelve feet. We meet with a defcrip- 
tion of one in the Fhilofophical Tranfaftions, 
which was feven feet and a half long, though fo 
young as fcarcely to have any teeth ; whereas the 
full growth of the common Seal is about fix feet. 
This animal, which is confidered as thelargefl 
of the Seal kind; is found on the coafls of Scot-r 
land and the fouth of Greenland; and it's flcin, 
which is very thick, is cut out into thongs by the 
Grcenlanders for their Seal ftfhery. Perhaps it is 
the fame with the great Kamtfghatkan Seal, called 
by the Ruffians lacktach, and which weighs about 
eight hundred pounds. 
Seal, Hooded. This creature has a flrong 
folded ficin on it's forehead, which it can at plea- 
fure throw over it's eyes and nofe, as a fence from 
flones and fand in flormy weather; and it's hair 
is white, with an under-coat of thick black wool, 
which makes it appear of a fine grey colour. It 
inhabits^£he fouth of Greenland and Newfound- 
land; and in the lafl- mentioned country obtains 
it's prefent name. It is faid that the hunters can- 
not kill it without firfl removing the integument 
on the head. 
There is alfo a variety found in the Greenland 
feas, having rough briflly hair, intermixed like 
that of a hog, of a pale brown colour. The na- 
tives make garments of it's fkin, turning the hairy 
fide inwards. 
Seal, Harp. This animal has a pointed 
head; and a thick body, of awhitifh grey colour, 
with two black crefcents on the fides, the horns 
pointing towards each other; but it does not at- 
tain this mark till the fifth year, and before that 
period changes colour annually, the Greenlanders 
diftinguifhing it by different appellations every 
year. It inhabits Greenland and Newfoundland; 
and is the moft: valuable kind. The fkin is the 
befl, as well as thickefl; it produces the largeft 
quantity of oil ; and grows to the length of nine 
feet. 
A variety of this fpecies is found in the Lake 
Baikal, with yellow hair; and a large chefnut-co- 
loured mark on the hind part of the back, which 
covers almoft a third part of the body. 
Seal, Little. This is the little Sea-calf of 
Buffon. The four middle teeth of the upper 
jaw are bifurcated; and the two in the middle of 
the lower jaw are trifurcated. It has only the ru- 
diments of an ear. The hair is foft, fmooth, and 
longer than in the common kind; the colour is 
dufl<:y on the head and back, and brownifh be- 
neath ; the webs of the feet extend confiderably 
beyond the toes and nails; and the length of the 
animal is from two to three feet. 
Thefe animals inhabit the feas near the ifland 
of Juan Fernandez; and Seal-hunters affirm, that 
they have often obferved a fmall fpecies of about 
two feet, or two feet and ^ half in length, on the 
coaft of Newfoundland, Buffon was certainly 
jmpofed 
