The Seal (_fig. 192._) in general has a round head, like the human
species; a broad muzzle like the otter; eyes large and elevated; little
or no external ears, having only two auditory passages on the sides of
the head; whiskers about its mouth; teeth somewhat resembling those of
the wolf; the tongue forked at the point; the body, hands, and feet,
covered with a short and bristly hair; no arms but two membranes, like
hands, with five fingers terminated by as many claws; no legs but two
feet exactly like the hands, except being larger and turned backwards,
as if designed to unite with a very short tail, which they accompany
on each side; the body is thickest at the breast from whence it tapers
down to the tail like a fish. He is so strange an animal that he
appears fictitious, and has served as a model for the poets to form
their tritons, syrens, and other sea deities, whom they feigned to have
the head of a man, the body of a quadruped, and the tail of a fish.
In fact, he seems to reign superior in the mute empire of the sea, by
his voice, figure, and intelligence, which he possesses equally with
any land animal; he is so far above the order of fishes, that he seems
not only to belong to a different order of beings, but to a different
world. Hence though of a nature very distant from that of our domestic
animals, yet he seems susceptible of a kind of education. He is reared
by putting him often in water; he is taught to give a salute with his
head and his voice; he will come when called, and he gives many other
signs of intelligence and docility.
His brain is proportionally larger than in man: his sensations are
as perfect, and his intellects as active, as those of any quadruped;
both are strongly marked in his docility, his social qualities, his
strong instinct for the female, his great attention towards his young,
and by the expressive modulation of his voice, which is superior to
that of any other animal. His body is likewise firm and large; he is
very strong and armed with sharp teeth and claws. He also enjoys many
particular and singular advantages. He can, with perfect ease, endure
heat or cold; he feeds indifferently on grass, flesh, or fish; and
he can equally live on ice, land, or in the wafer. This animal, with
the walrus alone, deserves the name of _amphibious_. They alone have
the _foramen ovale_ open, consequently they are the only animals who
can exist without respiration, the elements of air and water being
equally agreeable. The otter and the beaver cannot properly be termed
amphibious, as the air is their real element, for not having this
aperture through the septum of the heart, they cannot remain any length
of time under the water, but are obliged to quit it, or raise their
heads out of it in order to respire.
But these great advantages are counter-balanced by imperfections still
greater. The seal may be said to be deprived of the use of his limbs,
as his arms, thighs, and legs are almost entirely shut up within his
body, while nothing appears without but his hands and feet, which are,
it is true, furnished with five fingers or toes, but which are scarcely
moveable, being united by a strong membrane, so that they might more
properly be called fins than hands and feet, being more adapted for
the purpose of swimming than walking. Besides the hind feet are turned
backwards, therefore entirely useless upon land, so that when the
animal is obliged to move, he drags himself forward like a reptile, and
with efforts much more painful, for as he cannot bend himself in an
arch, like the serpent, to obtain the support of different parts, and
so advance by the reaction of the ground, he would remain like a lump
on the earth if it were not for his hands and tail, and with which he
seizes any thing within his reach with such dexterity that he drags
himself up the steepest shores, rocks, and even shoals of ice, however
steep or slippery. By this method he moves with a much greater degree
of swiftness than could be expected, and often, though wounded, escapes
the pursuit of the hunters.
The seal is a social animal, at least great numbers generally frequent
the same places. Their natural climate is the north, but they live in
the temperate and even hot countries, for they are seen on the shores
of almost all the seas of Europe and even in the Mediterranean; they
are found also in the southern seas of Africa and America; but they
are infinitely more common and more numerous in the northern seas of
Asia, Europe, and America. This species varies in size, colour, and
figure, according to the difference of climates. We have seen some of
these animals alive, and many of their skins have been sent to us; out
of these we have chosen two for our present subject; the first is the
common seal of our European sea, of which there are many varieties. We
have seen one, the proportions of whose body seemed to differ from any
other, its neck being shorter, its body longer, and its claws larger;
but these differences are not sufficient to constitute a distinct
species. The second is the seal of the Mediterranean and southern seas,
which we presume to be the _phoca_ of the ancients, and a distinct
species, for it differs from the others in the quality and colour
of the hair, which is flowing, and almost black, whereas that of the
common kind is grey, and of a bristly nature. Its teeth and ears are
also different, for it has a very small external ear, which the other
has not; its incisive teeth are likewise terminated with two points,
while the teeth of the other are smooth and sharp, like those of the
dog, wolf, and other quadrupeds. Its arms, or fins, are also situated
lower, that is to say, more backward. Nevertheless, these discrepancies
are, perhaps, only varieties depending on the climate, and not specific
differences; especially as in places where the seals abound, there are
numbers of them found larger and smaller, thicker and thinner, and of
different colours according to their sex and age.
From a similarity, which appeared at first sight but trivial, and by
some fugitive accounts, we were induced to suppose this second seal, or
small seal, was the _phoca_ of the ancients. We were informed that the
one we had was brought from India, and very probably it came from the
Levant. It was an adult, as it had all its teeth. It was about a fifth
less than the full-grown seals of our ocean, and about two-thirds less
than those of the Frozen Sea, for it was not above two feet five inches
in length, while that described by Mr. Parsons was seven feet and a
half long, though not arrived at its full growth, as it wanted several
teeth. Now the characters given by the ancients of their phoca do not
denote so large an animal, but agree with the small seal, which they
often compare to the otter and beaver.
There is another circumstance mentioned by the ancients as belonging
to the phoca, which, though false, could never have been intimated
as belonging to our seals, or those of the northern seas. They say
that the phoca's hair waves like the sea, and by a natural sympathy
follows its motions, lying backward when it flows and forward when it
ebbs, and that this remarkable effect remains long after the skin is
separated from the animal. Now this could never be attributed to our
seals, nor to those of the northern seas, since the hair of both is
short and stiff; while, on the contrary, it rather agrees with that
of the small seal, which is longer, and of a more supple nature than
the hair of the common kind. Besides, Cardan positively asserts, that
this property, which had been regarded as fabulous, is found to be
a fact in India. Without placing more dependance on this assertion
of Cardan's than it deserves, we must allow it indicates that this
circumstance belongs to the Indian seal, though possibly it is nothing
more than an electric phenomenon, the effects of which the ancients
being ignorant might ascribe it to the flowing and ebbing of the sea.
However this may be, the above reasons are a sufficient foundation
to presume, that the small seal is the phoca of the ancients; and
there is also great reason to conclude, that it is the same as that
M. Rondelatius calls the _Mediterranean phoca_, the body of which,
according to him, is much longer and smaller, in proportion, than our
seal. The great seal, described by Mr. Parsons, and which, probably,
came from the northern seas, seems to be a different species from the
other two, for, notwithstanding it had scarcely any teeth, it was as
big again, in all its dimensions, as the common kind. Mr. Parsons, as
Mr. Klein judiciously remarks, speaks a great deal on the subject of
this animal in a few words, and has given the following observations in
the Philosophical Transactions, No. 469, p. 383, 386.
"A sea-calf was shewn at Charing-cross, London, in the month of
February, 1742-3. The figures given by Aldrovandus, Johnston, and
others, being designed in profile, lead us into two errors. 1st. They
make the legs apparent, though they are not visible externally in
any position the animal is placed; and, secondly, the hind feet are
represented like two fins, whereas they are two real feet, webbed
like those of a water-fowl, each having five toes, composed of three
articulations, and ending with darkish-coloured claws. The claws on
the fore-feet are very large and broad, nearly like those of a mole,
and seem to be designed for the purposes of crawling, and partly for
swimming, as between each toe there is a narrow membrane; but the
membranes of the hind feet are much larger, and only serve to row
the animal along when in the water. It was a female, and died in the
morning of the 16th of February, 1742-3. The hairs that were about
its mouth were of a horny and transparent substance; its stomach,
intestines, bladder, kidneys, ureters, diaphragm, lungs, great
blood-vessels, and the parts of generation, were like those of a cow:
the spleen was two feet long, four inches broad, and exceedingly thin;
the liver was composed of six lobes, each of which was long and thin,
like the spleen; the gall bladder was very small; the heart long, and
of a soft texture, having a large foramen ovale, and the fleshy parts
very considerable. In the lower stomach were about four pounds weight
of sharp and angular pieces of flint, which seems as if the animal had
swallowed them for the purpose of grinding its food. This animal is
viviparous, and suckles its young by the mamilla, like quadrupeds, and
its flesh is firm and muscular. Although it had attained seven feet and
a half in length, yet it was but young, as it had scarcely any teeth;
and it had four small holes regularly placed about the navel, which
were the preceding signs of four teats to appear hereafter."
Thus it appears there are three kinds of seals, differing from each
other. The small black seal of India and the Levant; the common seal
of our seas; and the great seal of the northern ocean. To the first
of these, therefore, we must refer all that the ancients have written
about the _phoca_. Aristotle was acquainted with this animal, for he
has described it of an ambiguous nature, an intermediate creature
between aquatic and terrestrial animals; that is, an imperfect
quadruped, having no external teats for suckling its young, and only
very apparent auditory passages; that its tongue is forked, and has a
small tail resembling that of a stag. This entirely agrees with the
seal; but he is deceived in affirming that its has no gall-bladder. Mr.
Parsons, indeed says, that the gall-bladder of the great seal which he
describes, was very small; but M. Daubenton found a gall-bladder in
the seal which he dissected proportionable to the size of the liver;
and the gentlemen of the Academy of Sciences, who also met with a
gall-bladder in the seal which they dissected do not speak of its being
remarkably small.
Aristotle could not have had any knowledge of the great seal of the
Frozen Sea, since in the time he lived all the north of Europe and
of Asia was unknown, The Romans considered Gaul and Germany as their
north, and the Greeks knew still less of the animals belonging to this
part of the world; it is, therefore, very probable, that when Aristotle
speaks of the _phoca_ as a very common animal, he only means the
Mediterranean seal.
These three species have many properties in common with each other;
the females bring forth in winter, and place their young upon some
sand-bank, rock, or small island. When they suckle their young they
sit upon their hind legs, and continue to nourish them in this manner
for twelve or fifteen days, after which she brings them to the water,
accustoms them to swim, and to search for their food; she carries them
on her back when they are fatigued. As each litter does not consist of
above two or three, her cares are not much divided, and the education
of her little ones is soon completed. In fact, these animals are very
sagacious and docile; they understand and naturally assist each other
in dangers. The young ones distinguish their mother among a numerous
troop; and are perfectly obedient to her call. We are unacquainted
with their time of gestation; but if we judge of it from that of
their growth, the length of their lives, and the size of the animal,
it must be many months; the time from their birth till they attain
their full growth being many years, the length of their lives must be
proportionably long. I am even inclined to believe that these animals
live upwards of a hundred years, for we know that cetaceous animals, in
general, live much longer than quadrupeds; and as the seal is the link
between both it, ought to participate of the nature of the first, and
consequently live much longer than the last.
The voice of the seal may be compared to the barking of an angry dog.
When young, they have a shrill note, somewhat like the mewing of a cat.
Those that are taken early from their dams mew continually, and often
die of hunger sooner than take the food that is offered them. They
bark at and endeavour to bite those who injure them, and are more of a
courageous than timid nature. Instead of being terrified at thunder
and lightning, it seems to delight them; they generally come on shore
in tempests and storms, and even quit their icy abodes to avoid the
shock of the waves; at such times they sport in great numbers along
the shore: the tremendous conflict seems to divert, and the heavy
rains that fall, to enliven them. They have naturally a disagreeable
scent, and which is smelt at a great distance, when there are great
numbers together. When pursued they often drop their excrements, which
are of a yellow colour, and of a very abominable scent. They have a
prodigious quantity of blood, and being also loaded with fat, they are,
consequently, very dull and heavy. They usually sleep a great deal, and
very sound, and are fond of taking their repose in the sun on flakes of
ice, or sides of rocks, and they may be approached very nigh without
being disturbed, which is the usual method of taking them. They are
very seldom secured with fire-arms, for they do not immediately die,
even if shot in the head, but plunge into the sea, and are entirely
lost to the hunter; therefore the general method is to surprise them
when asleep, or at a distance from the sea, and knock them on the head
with clubs. "They are not easily killed, and are a long time dying
(says an eye-witness), for although mortally wounded, their blood
nearly exhausted, and even stripped of their skins, yet they still
continue alive; and indeed it is a shocking sight to see them in this
condition wallowing and rolling about in their blood. These remarks
were made on an animal we killed, about eight feet long; after it was
skinned, and deprived of the greater part of its fat, yet it attempted
to bite, notwithstanding they had given him many powerful blows over
the head and nose. It even seized a cutlass with as much vigour as if
it had not been wounded; after which we pierced it through the heart
and liver, from whence as much blood flowed as is contained in a young
ox[F]."
[Footnote F: Recueil des Voyages du Nord. tom. ii. p. 117, &c.]
The hunting, or perhaps, to speak more properly, the fishing of these
animals is not very difficult, and is attended with great profit,
the flesh being good food, and the skin exceedingly serviceable. The
Americans fill them with air, and make a kind of raft, or small boats
of them: their fat yields a clear and much sweeter oil than that drawn
from the porpoise, or other cetaceous animals.
To these three kinds of seals already mentioned we may, perhaps, add
a fourth, described in Anson's voyages by the name of the _sea-lion_.
These are found in great numbers on the Magellanic coasts, and at the
island of Juan Fernandes, in the South Sea. The sea-lion resembles
our seal, which is very common in the same latitudes, but it is much
larger, being from eleven to eighteen feet long, and from eight to
eleven in circumference, when it has acquired its full growth. They are
so fat that when the skin is taken off, the blubber is about a foot
thick all round the body, and from a single animal more than ninety
gallons of oil may be drawn. They are, at the same time, very full of
blood, and which, when deeply wounded, springs out with amazing force.
Upon the throat of one of these animals being cut, two hogsheads of
blood were taken out, besides what then remained in its body. Their
skins are covered with a short hair of a brownish colour, but blackish
on the tail and feet. Their toes are united by a membrane, which does
not reach to their extremity, and each of them are terminated by a
claw. The sea-lion differs from the common seal not only in its size
and bulk, but also by other characters. The male has a kind of thick
crest, or trunk, hanging from the end of its upper jaw, about five or
six inches long. This character is not seen in the females, and forms
a very striking distinction between them. The strong males collect
together a flock of females, and permit no other male to approach them.
These animals are truly amphibious; they remain all the summer in the
sea, and go upon land in the winter; at which season the females bring
forth, but never produce above one or two at a litter, which they
suckle.
The sea-lions, while they are on land, feed on the herbage which grows
by the sides of the sea. They are of a very heavy and drowsy nature,
and delight to sleep in the mire. Though very indolent and difficult
to waken, yet at those times they commonly fix some as centinels near
the place where they sleep; and it is said, that these centinels give
loud warnings when any danger is near. Their voices are very loud and
of various tones; sometimes grunting like hogs, and sometimes neighing
like horses. The males often fight about the females and wound one
another desperately with their teeth. The flesh of these animals is
not disagreeable to eat; particularly the tongue, which is as good as
that of the ox. They are very easily killed, as they cannot defend
themselves, nor fly from their enemies: they are so exceedingly heavy,
that they move with great difficulty, and turn themselves with still
greater. Those that hunt them have only to guard against coming too
near their teeth, which are very strong, and with which they inflict
deadly wounds.
By comparing other observations and accounts, and from the conclusions
which may be drawn from them, the sea-lion of South America, appears
to be nearly the same animal as that found on the northern coasts of
the same continent. The large seal of Canada, spoken of by Denis, by
the name of the sea-wolf, and which he distinguishes from the common
seals, may possibly be of the same species as these sea-lions. "Their
young, says this author, are bigger and longer at their birth than
our largest hogs." Now it is certain that our seals are never of that
size, even when full-grown. The Mediterranean seal, or the _phoca_ of
the ancients, is still less; therefore there only remains the seal Mr.
Parsons has described, which agrees with that mentioned by Denis. Mr.
Parsons does not say whence this great seal was brought: but whether it
came from the north of Europe, or from America, it might be the same
as the sea-wolf of Denis, or the sea-lion of Anson, for it appears to
be of the same size, since though not nearly full-grown it measured
seven feet in length. Besides the size, there is the most apparent
difference between the sea-lion and the seal, namely, the male of the
first has a large crest on its upper jaw. Now Mr. Parsons did not see
the male; he only described the female, which had no crest, and which
perfectly resembled the female sea-lion, mentioned by Anson. To these
similarities Parsons adds another still more precise; he says, that the
great seal which he saw had a stomach and intestines like those of a
cow; and the sea-lion also mentioned in Anson's Voyages, is described
as an animal which feeds on grass during the whole summer. Hence it is
very probable that these two animals are formed alike, or rather they
are the same animals, and very different from other seals, who have but
one stomach, and which live entirely upon fish.
Rogers had spoken of this animal nearly in the same manner as is done
in Anson's Voyages. "The sea-lion (says he) is a very strange creature,
and of a prodigious bulk; I have seen some above twenty feet long,
which could not weigh less than four thousand pounds. Many of them were
sixteen feet long and must weigh two thousand pounds; notwithstanding
which, I was surprised at the great quantity of oil drawn from these
animals. Its shape is nearly like the sea-calf; but its skin is
as thick as that of an ox; the hair is short and bristly; the head
disproportionally large; the mouth very wide; the eyes of a monstrous
size, and the nose, which resembles that of the lion, has terrible
whiskers, formed of such exceedingly stiff and bristly hair, that they
might be used for tooth-picks. Towards the latter end of June, these
animals go upon the island of Juan Fernandes to bring forth their
young; which they do at about a gun-shot distance from the edge of the
sea; there they remain till the end of September, without moving out of
the place, and without taking any nourishment: at least, we did not see
them eat. I observed some which remained eight days in the same spot,
and which would not have stirred then had they not been frightened by
the report of a pistol. At the island of _Lobos_ in the South Sea, we
likewise saw several sea-lions, but a much greater number of seals."
These observations of Woods and Rogers, which agree with what is said
in Anson's Voyages, seem to be further proofs of these animals living
upon grass when they are on land; for there is but little probability
that they should exist three months without any food, and especially
during the time they suckle their young. We find in the Collection of
Voyages to the South Seas, many remarks respecting these animals;
but neither the descriptions nor circumstances appear to be exact:
for example, it is said, that in the Straits of Magellan, there are
sea-wolves of such an enormous size, that their skins, when stretched
out, were six and thirty feet wide; which is evidently an exaggeration.
It is also said, that on the two islands of Port Desire, those animals
resemble lions in the anterior part of their body, having a very long
mane on their heads, necks, and shoulders. This is a still greater
exaggeration; for the sea-lions have only a little more hair on the
neck than on the rest of the body, but which is not above an inch in
length. It is likewise said that there are some of these animals above
eighteen feet long, many about fourteen, but most commonly not above
five. This might induce us to imagine, that there are two species, the
one much larger than the other, because the author does not say whether
this difference proceeded from the difference in their ages, which,
however, was necessary in order to prevent error. "These animals (says
Coreal) keep their mouths always open. It is with great difficulty
that two men can kill one of these animals even with a strong lance,
which is the best weapon that can be made use of for that purpose. One
female suckles four or five young ones, and beats away any other young
that comes towards her; from which circumstance I conclude they bring
forth four or five young ones at a litter." This presumption seems
well founded; for the great seal, described by Mr. Parsons, had four
teats, situate in such a manner as to form a square about the navel. I
thought it necessary to collect every circumstance relative to these
animals, which are but little known; and it is much to be wished that
some skilful traveller would give us a proper description of them,
and particularly of their internal parts, as the stomach, intestines,
&c. for, if we could rely on the testimonies of travellers, we should
believe that the sea-lions belong to the class of ruminating animals;
that they have several stomachs, and that, consequently, they are of a
far distant species from the seal, or sea-calf, which certainly has but
one stomach, and must be placed among the carnivorous animals.