| | § i f A T U R A .L ; : I f f T O R Y of iP 0 £ W A , Y.
Sselhund; as -big.afs fa} Sboipfe:f fome. are alfq> callerd,R|ag|u]$ze,rj
begaulbtthey hace<a
pleafure throw; down [over their eyes- and fjjjoijlt; their ey®£ gre
very fore and tender, and a flight blow on them will, ftun.the
Fiffi; their headtis fomfething like. the head ?of ,.ai dog yvith -cyopt
ears, and the uncier-lip hanging- down ; i about the, nofe | there
are faveral l^pgiMd prickly: hairsjjjjnd the-,bQd^ig)Coyered:all
over with fhort light grey hairs, and fpotted with black. gander
their fofe-part: there are two broad paws, and towards the tail
there are Tagie^hing like fins, t and thefe^they -i^gjke-ijijfe^of
crawl about with. _t They breed, and hying. forth their yqitng^pn.
land, in the fame manner as land animals do, and that twice a^ea-p,
and produce but one young Qri.e\at a time. ltdsvifa'id that in bad
weather, or in any danger, the mother, will fwallow the young
one^ andihring 'it up^gain.' \Mr.-;Perham,.inihi^PhyficoiThe'^lo-
giej Lib iv. caip^' p. 410!,. affirms this^hut IflialHegftfe it ,0nd.e-»
cidedi-: The: /slfej/i:
are mpfhcomjnonly ^led^witjteftre-arms ahput;Gur coa.ft^ai^Cope
fejvwith clubs,, when; the fi{hermen5 find-them afleep^gm^ax*
get near enough. to them.
: Qur Bergen; feamen, wbo,ngy®ryiye&rj‘ in the month fof M^Scfe
fail from hditee to Jail Mayen ifland,,.or to th^slqg^ernthldfi. of
Greenland^ in large fhips, generally; lie-- there till Midfuygtner-
day, then they go*with their floops or boats,' betw.een.the largo
flakesjof i#> upon which the Sea-Calve? lk> Jofj^ng'by hing-
Regnktiona dyeds together, and deftroy the greateft part of thgrn... M In th,ei%
republic, they make this cautious regulation, thatspne pi. them
muft ftand centinel, on thefo pccaflpns,. while the.y£ffi»JJeep,.;$rid
with a kind of a poife hke^ffie hqarfe barking @£At clgg,, ,h©
wakes them, when either the white hear, who prowls aboutvupon
the ice, or any Other enemy, - approaches. ' Thefe people therefore/
come upon them fuddenly, and with what they call
a Dollftock, which has a thick iron ring and an* iron fpike at
the end,- give them a blow on the fnout, hard enough to piake,
ffire of.them, and prevent them: from making their efcape, $ ,in
this. Espnneff they ferve every. one - they can -come at..,}r The fat
which covets tbe.flefh is flayed off with the skin, and .put up
in largo.pasks, in order to make train oil. The skins, when they
have fprinkled fome fait upon them, to keep them from rotting,
are rolled up fingly. The catching of thefe isfometimes as profitable
as fiflfing for Whales; for a fhip may carry off 7 .or ‘8.0.0
casks of fat in a feafon, and they will frequently take .4 or 30a
in a Wm What "onr fifhermen affirm, appears very ftrange,
namely,
N A T U,R A L H 1 S T O R Y of N O R T F A Y.
namely, tha,t- thefe creature?,, in/.a flock; of, a thpufand tpgethei*
will ftgejr their CQiirfq*a!S, oxa&ly,, as’ iffithey .wbntrhyf a 1 compafs;';
for whep-' they peyoeive any noife,wor are driven away .from a
.flake office, and ay|j,obliged /-Pvitake (helper any where elfe, if
the wind, i fetyes*, th§ feaipen hammothing elfp to .do, but tq fet
fail after them^ and;iwhefi f tjaey.hgvfe only pbferved what coarfe
theiy.topk ajt their departure, they jfleer ejtafffy the fame«pbiil;i of
^the cprapafs,, and fjrheyj^ay be-.f^re^Qf coming up ®ifh< -them*,
/upon-;tfie tfirff.iflpfkf '£>fjf ice .thgjfmeet in. their „caurfe j.jfchg’ they
i©ften<f^4# Sjlp# long -fway, hefbfie ,ithey comeoupx-svith:: dtfchnA
{A great/numjbfer- Calves ^te’ 'takpayatl Fanoe,^ in the darfe.
and deep c^verh^'of the rocksy which that ifland abotfncfe with*.
In- what, manneti that.is dqne,; is-very w^ll related by the euffouS
Mr. hucasj Debes<» in his Qefcription of that «Country,! .pv 1,51, &
feq.; /‘j}.They<.ha.Yiej-Paany wa^Sftpi,catch then» befides; fliooting
-J^fthgm, |Iftifprmer chfed^;nefe% .h.utr.few^ cfeffitj movf%
ff< but ffiey hunt them with d$gs, bred for'that purpofe.' i As
the fights of ffie Sea Calf is but imperfect, wheiitawalse^ :.,and.
^^hqijisij genially, found.afleep, on the irocks, .the«'dogsneaflly
,te approach them, -j.againft: the wind (that they may ugt :imeH
^i-^them) ftart upon, them unawares-1 and feize .them1 bf. the throat,
^rhplding -them Taft till thej msffler comes- to- their affiftaiicO*,
and kills them. The third -way - is« but fel(do.m> ^aQsifed}*! and
,<e is .o||lf4 ffiere Paa- Later.; This iyord Rate); is ndt a; Latin,libut
and flgnlfles to- pair; itngetbeiyjt fpe whon
iff ,the. Sea, Ca.lveSj/«pair, themfelyes, . kf is.-dfually , callediilherO
#f;i Lateres, j Thore are;jnjpysy a | h ^ a v e r h s ; ^ sotksprHofb
.JfptQ- .-thelea^a^ce fd.fiimh
u of which^ts fut’ fmall, like a cJhor, that a harrow-boat can-biit;
iffiftflafl: get inw ith in them thterb/s ayflagnating deep waterythafc
“ they may row-in, but the farther, they' advance, the. fhal-lawOr
- is^till atfdafl;;thty*i.find thenjfOlves(upon; aridry
c‘ tpckjs which for jus a vaulted .rpofover their heads, and cilifes
fC .aiv-extraordinary echo when one.fpeaks. \ All Here is fo dark^,
u that -ther^ is- no diftinguifhiflg *day from night. In thefe
p P S H H H the.. Spa I Calves taker up - their j abode bf,r
“ dreds tpgeth-er, and therefore, the inhabit-antssthirik .they couple
ff -there;' and; Latevji i^nd :t®iloofcv'-QUtiIb^
ff- thofe pla^l) to kill fh% Spa .Qalves,; they the nce .'call Paa Lateii?
ff This i the pu-e isiAvheUii the* eafranco is
Wi U-nder yvater, ang=;is therefore inaccefllhle, and! iicalled KaUfu^
“ » Later, Sdai;,||alf kaufuer, Ihah ily\ducks hnder*
“ water, /vahen he liters it : the other ha? .the entrance-ubove5
“ water.
itow tliey .
chtch them afi
Paro.is/