Phocid.«. MAMMALIA. PhocidjE. 125 
earliest times it has been tamed and taught to perform 
a number of tricks, and to utter certain responsive 
sounds, when spoken to by its master. A seal thus 
instructed has been exhibiting in London, under the 
title of the “ talking and performing fish its so-called 
wonderful performances, however, as might be expected, 
do not equal the absurdities of a puffing and exagger- 
ating advertisement. Mr. Low, in his “Fauna Orca- 
densis,” observes, that in the wild state, “ seals seem 
to have a great deal of curiosity; if people are passing- 
in boats, they often come quite close up to the boat, 
and stare at them, following for a long time together ; 
if people are speaking loud, they seem to wonder what 
may be the matter. The church of Hoy, in Orkney, 
is situated in a small sandy bay, much frequented by 
these creatures ; and I observed, when the bell rang 
for divine service, all the seals within hearing swam 
directly to the shore, and kept looking about them, as 
if surprised rather than frightened, and in this man- 
ner continued to wonder as long as the bell rung.” 
Their powers of hearing are remarkably acute, as we 
have recently verified by speaking softly to the active 
little seal at present living in the Zoological Society’s 
Gardens, Kegent’s Park ; even while the animal is 
under water, the very faintest whisper of its name — 
“Jenny” — does not fail to elicit immediate attention 
and expectancy. In high northern latitudes the seal 
is of the greatest economic value. To the Greenlanders 
it affords an almost exclusive means of subsistence — 
supplying, as it does, food for the inner man, clothing 
for the outer man, and light for their ill-furnished 
dwellings. The seal is also an important article of 
commerce. A full-grown specimen of this species, if 
taken in spring, will yield from four to five gallons of 
oil, while some of the larger kinds will supply con- 
siderably more than double that quantity. If extracted 
while fresh, the oil is beautifully clear and transparent, 
inodorous, and of a rather pleasant taste. The skin is 
either prepared with the fur, or tanned to make 
leather; in either case it is in great demand for making 
shoes, caps, and other articles of clothing. 
THE HARP SEAL {Phoca Grmnlandica) is, as its 
specific name implies, found very abundant on the ice- 
bound shores of Greenland, being also an inhabitant of 
Iceland, and the northern coasts generally, from New- 
foundland along the borders of the Frozen Ocean, as 
far as the sea of Kamtschatka It is also occasionally 
transported southward to the western shores of our 
own sea-girt islands. The fur presents a greyish-white 
colour, the back being marked by a blackish horseshoe- 
shaped band, arching backwards from the region of the 
shoulder to within a few inches of the root of its stumpy 
tail. This band is broad at the sides, while its outline 
is very irregular ; the anterior half of the head exhibits 
the same deep brownish-black colour, imparting to the 
physiognomy a very peculiar look. The molar teeth 
do not overlap each other, but they leave slight inter- 
spaces between their several ends. In regard to the 
habits of this species, Fabricius states that they leave 
the coasts of Greenland twice a-year, namely, in March 
and July, revisiting their haunts in May and Septem- 
ber. Their food consists of molluscs and fish, especially 
salmon. Being stupid and incautious, they fall an easy 
prey to the seal-hunters ; their fur is much valued, and 
is less woolly than that of the common species. The 
female produces one, or rarely two, cubs at a birth ; the 
skins being either white or cream-coloured. These 
seals have a tendency to congregate and herd together 
on floating masses of ice at a considerable distance 
from the shore, under the leadership of one of their 
number. 
THE MARBLED SEAL {Phoca annulata) inhabits 
the coasts of France, and was supposed by Frederick 
Cuvier to be only a variety of the common species. 
Professor Nilsson of Copenhagen, however, has deter- 
mined otherwise. At one time it was believed that 
this species had been taken on our own coasts, but the 
impression appears to have been erroneous ; it is cer- 
tainly not improbable that it should find its way thus 
far northward. The body is about as large as that of 
Phoca vitulina, but it is at once distinguished from it, 
by the peculiar marbled colour of the fur. A very 
lively specimen of the Marbled seal, formerly kept in 
the Jardin des Plantes, afforded the Parisian and other 
visitors much amusement. Two little dogs were housed 
with it, and the trio lived on excellent terms ; the seal 
allo-wing them to take fish out of its mouth while eat- 
ing, and submitting to many other indignities. 
THE GREAT SEAL {Phoca harbata) is occasionally 
found on the northern shores of Scotland ; and, accord- 
ing to Mr. Selby, it is an inhabitant of the Farn and 
Staple islands, off the coast of Northumberland. The 
body of a full-grown species measures as much as ten, 
twelve, or even fourteen feet in length, and weighs 
upwards of forty-five stone. The head is comparatively 
long, and much arched in front ; the eyes are large, the 
auditory opening being also capacious. The fore-feet 
have the central toe longest, the outermost on either 
side being comparatively short. In the adult animal 
the fur presents a deep brownish-black colour, but in 
the young state it is of light-greenish hue. The female 
is provided with four teats, and Mr. Selby states that 
it “ calves in the month of November upon several of 
the outer rocks, where the young are suckled every 
tide for the space of fourteen or fifteen days, -when the 
long woolly fur which at first clothed them is cast, and 
a new covering of close short hair supersedes it ; they 
are then conducted by the dam to the water, from 
whence they only emerge at intervals.” 
THE GREY SEAL {Halichcerus gryphus) is also an 
inhabitant of the British coasts, being especially abun- 
dant on the Irish shores. Professor Nilsson — an 
excellent authority — states that those living in the 
Baltic have solitary habits ; but, in the neighbourhood 
of Cork and Waterford, Dr. Ball found them gregarious 
in small numbers. The Grey seal is also a native of 
the northern coasts of Europe, and is called the Utselur 
by the Icelanders. Zoologically speaking, it is a species 
of ver}’- great interest, because its structural characters, 
in some particulars at least, approach very closely 
those of the walrus; Dr. Gray, indeed, considers it 
entitled to be regarded as a member of the family 
which that peculiar form represents. Be that as it 
may, the canines are present in the lower jaw, while 
those of the upper are not prolonged into tusks — 
features which sufficiently distinguish the Phocidae 
