52 A DESCRIPTION OF 
feet, which the animal generally drags behind it like a tail, 
to serve as a rudder. The Seal lives generally in the water, 
and feeds entirely on fish ; only coming to shore occa- 
sionally to bask on the sands, and to lie there to suckle 
its young. The usual length of a Seal 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, 
which is very short. The eyes are large : there are no ex- 
ternal ears ; and the tongue is cleft or forked at the end. 
The body is covered with short thick-set hair, which in 
the common species is generally grey, but sometimes 
brown or blackish. There are, however, several species ; 
and one of them, which is called the sea-leopard, has the 
fur spotted with white or yellow. 
Seals are hunted by the Greenlanders for the sake of 
their oil, and also for their skins, which are used for 
making waistcoats and other articles of clothing, and are 
much prized by the fishermen for their great warmth. As 
the Seals cannot breathe below water, they are obliged to 
swim with their heads as much above the waves as a dog 
would, and thus they are easily seen by the fisher- 
men. When attacked, they fight with great fury ; but 
when taken young, they are capable of being tamed ; 
they will follow their master like a dog, and come to him 
when called by the name given to them. Some years ago 
a young Seal was thus domesticated. It was taken at a 
little distance from the sea, and was generally kept in a 
vessel full of salt water : but sometimes it was allowed to 
crawl about the house, and even to approach the fire. Its 
natural food was regularly procured for it ; and it was 
carried to the sea every day, and thrown in from a boat. 
It used to swim after the boat, and always allowed itself 
to be taken back. It lived thus for several weeks, and 
probably would have lived much longer, had it not been 
sometimes too roughly handled. The females in this cli- 
