148 
A VOYAGE TO SPITZBEBGEN. 
zontally above, and support it on four feet, while others- 
again, as the sloths, suspend the body and head down¬ 
wards, moving more slowly amongst the branches of 
trees, with a series of successive clutches of their hooked 
claws; then there are the various modes by which the 
feet and hands are approximated to the ground they 
move upon. Either the foot is placed flat, as in the 
bear's way of walking, or the knuckles, the rims of the 
soles, or the tips of the claws are used as the fulcra 
the tail again is the means of support to some 
monkeys and the opossum. By means of the tail in. 
these creatures, the body either hangs suspended or is 
swung forward in the progress of the animal. But 
of all the odd movements, and as Dr. Murie says,, 
u the most sadly ridiculous one, is the shuffling,, 
wriggling, belly progressive gait of many of the seal 
tribe on terra firma.” The walrus has been seen to 
waddle on all fours, and the eared seal has a some¬ 
what similar power of locomotion, but the west ice 
seals differ little except in size from the ordinary 
seal of our coasts (unless when the coat is dry,, 
when it is of a lighter colour), except in those 
cases which are far from infrequent, when there is no 
coat of fur whatever, and the great animals have 
almost lost all pretensions to form and outline owing 
to their inordinate fat. Then, indeed, there is no 
