33 
phocid^:. 
Caithness at the time of Pennant, and circumstantially described by him 
in his British Zoology, vol. i. p. 124. 
In Maxwell’s “ Wild Sports of the West,” Letter 7, a story is told of a 
seal which had been taken when young in Clew Bay, and domesticated 
in the kitchen of a gentleman whose house was situated on the sea-shore. 
There it remained for four years, and so great was its attachment to this 
habitation that it returned three times after having been as frequently 
committed to the deep, at a considerable distance from the shore, with 
the view of banishing it. On the last of these occasions it had been 
cruelly deprived of sight, but, notwithstanding this, the jjoor animal con- 
trived to find its way back on the eighth night after its expulsion. The 
same writer adds the following note : — In January, 1819, in the neighbour- 
hood of Burnt Island, a gentleman completely succeeded in taming a 
seal. Its singularities attracted the curiosity of strangers daily. It ap- 
peared to possess all the sagacity of the dog, and lived in its master’s 
house and ate from his hand. In his fishing excursions this gentleman 
generally took it with him ; upon which occasions it afforded no small 
entertainment. When thrown into the water it would follow for miles 
the track of the boat, and although thrust back by the oars, it never 
relinquished its purpose ; indeed, it struggled so hard to regain its seat 
that one would imagine its fondness for its master had entirely overcome 
the natural predilection for its native element. 
At Ballantrae (Ayrshire), on 29th August, 1839, 1 purchased a seal of 
this species which had been just captured in the salmon nets ; — a very rare 
occurrence. One of the fishermen, who had formerly served in a Green- 
land whaler, stated that in the north he had seen three hundred seals 
killed in one day, and that they distinguished five kinds by colour. The 
young ones they had taken alive, and had kept for a few days on board, 
but it had been always found necessary to despatch them, in consequence 
of their noise at night preventing the sailors from sleeping. 
Some interesting notes relative to seals upon the western coast of Ire- 
land in the seventeenth century will be found in O’Flaherty’s West or 
H-Iar Connaught. — Butty also mentions the seal. 
The Grey Seal, Halichoerus Gryphus, Ball, 
Has been found around the coast generally. 
We are indebted to Dr. Ball for distinguishing this species as a native 
of the British seas. Mr. Bell, in his History of British Quadrupeds, p. 
279, et seq., gives full and valuable notes respecting this animal, supplied 
to him by Dr. Ball, and the latter gentleman has given further informa- 
tion on the same subject in his paper already referred to in connexion 
with the common seal. From this paper I extract the following note con- 
tributed by myself. 
“January 31st, 1837. 
“ George Matthews, Esq. of Springvale, in the county of Down, informed me 
to-day that about three weeks ago, when setting out to shoot wild-fowl near 
Bally waiter, accompanied by an attendant, they observed an old and young seal 
upon the rocks, at such a distance from the sea as induced them to commence pur- 
suit in the hope of intercepting them on their return to it. In this they were so 
far successful as to capture the young one, which they fastened to the rock, hoping 
that its cries, which they compared to those of a calf, might attract the parent 
within gun-shot. They then concealed themselves to the windward of the old 
one, and for about an hour and a half saw it emerge at the distance of from 
four to five hundred yards at least once every ten or fifteen minutes, but oc- 
