COMMON SEAL. 
18 § 
there for any length of time ; and a seal may be 
drowned, like any other terrestrial animal. Thus 
it seems superior, in some respects, to the inhabi- 
tants of both elements, and inferior in many more. 
Although furnished with legs, it is in some mea- 
sure deprived of all the advantages of them. 
They are shut up within its body, while nothing 
appears but the extremities of them, and these 
furnished with very little motion, but to serve 
them as fins in the water. The hind feet, indeed, 
being turned backwards, are entirely useless upon 
land ; so that when the animal is obliged to 
move, it drags itself forward like a reptile, and 
with an effort more painful. For this purpose 
it is obliged to use its fore feet, which, though 
very short, serve to give it such a degree of 
swiftness that a man cannot readily overtake it ; 
and it runs towards the sea. As it is thus awk- 
wardly formed for going upon land, it is seldom 
found at any distance from the sea-shore, but con- 
tinues to bask upon the rocks ; and, when dis- 
turbed, always plunges down at once to the bottom. 
The seal is a social animal, and wherever it 
frequents numbers are generally seen together. 
In the North and Icy seas they are particularly 
numerous. It is on those shores, which are less 
inhabited than ours, and where the fish resort in 
greater abundance, that they are seen by thou- 
sands, like flocks of sheep, basking on the rocks, 
and suckling their young. There they keep 
watch like other gregarious animals ; and, if an 
enemy appear, instantly plunge altogether into 
the water. In fine weather they more usually 
employ their time in fishing ; and generally come 
on shore in tempests and storms. The seal seems 
the only animal that takes delight in these tre- 
mendous conflicts of nature. In the midst of 
thunders and torrents, when every other creature 
tOfce K* M b 
