COMMON SEAL. 
183 
excellent swimmers and ready divers. Their usual 
length is five or six feet. The head is large and 
round ; the neck small and short ; and on each 
side of the mouth there are several strong bristles*. 
From the shoulders the body tapers to the tail* 
The eyes are large ; there are no external ears. 
The legs are very short ; and the hinder ones 
placed so backward, as to be but of little use, 
except in swimming. The feet are all webbed. 
It has five toes on each foot, with sharp strong 
claws. Its hind feet are more widely webbed 
than the fore. The tail is very short. The ani- 
mals vary in colour ; their short thick set hair 
being sometimes grey, sometimes brown or black- 
ish, and sometimes even spotted with white or 
yellow. 
It has been often remarked, that all animals 
are sagacious in proportion to the size of their 
brain. It has, in support of this opinion, been 
alleged, that man, with respect to his bulk, has of ^ 
all others the largest. In pursuance of this as- 
sumption, some erroneous speculations have been 
formed. But, were the size of the brain to deter- 
mine the quantity of the understanding, the seal 
would, of all other animals, be the most saga- 
cious ; for it has, in proportion, the largest 
brain of any, even man' himself not excepted* 
However, this animal is possessed of but very 
few advantages over other quadrupeds ; and the 
size of its brain furnishes it with few powers 
that contribute to its wisdom or its preservation. 
This animal differs in the formation of its 
tongue from all other quadrupeds. It is forked 
or slit at the end, like that of serpents * but for 
what purpose it is thus singularly contrived we 
are at a loss to know. We are much better in- 
formed with respect to another singularity in 
its conformation, which is, that the foramen ovale 
