Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1846-02-27
A r ARlTY.

As Mcssrs Tailor, Moore aud Field, from
Kecscvlle, and Peru, were, on Monday last,
crossing over lake ChamplaIn on the ice to
this place, they observed, when about bali
way over. an animal Of some Kind bouncing
in the snow upon the ice, and which they at
first took to he an otter. 1t moved forward
by springs, or heavy leaps, Of about two
thirds of its length at time, and, its progress
being very slow, they soon overlook it, and
succeeded, without difficulty, in killing it
with the but of their whip, when they found
it to be Seal. Taking it into their sleigh
they brought it over to this place. lis length
from the snout to the poserior extremity,
was 80 inches, and the thickness of the body,
(Which was cylndricaI,) just behind the fore
legs, was about ii inches. 1t weighed 20
| pounds. The hair was short, thick, stiff and
even, and the colors dark brownish olive and
tawny white, forming a beautiful dark spot
ted marbling, lighter and more lawny onthc
belly. The hind feet were of a uniform
brownlsh olive, having the longer hairs tip
pea with white the fore feet were of the
same dark olive color, with obscure traces of
spots. The feet were webbcd, and the mem.
brane connecting the toes of the hind feet
was SO much developed as 10 reach beyond
the points Of the nails, which were about an
inch long, Of dark horn color the nails on
the fore feet were Of the same color and one
and quarter inch in length. In its deni-
ton, in the obllqnc position of the molar
teeth and the situation Of their tuberclcs, and
in the notchod posterior margin Of tie pala-
tine bones, IT agrees SO nearly with the spe-
ciiic characters Of the PhOca UituliRa, which
is the Common Seal of the Northern Allan
tic, as to leave little doubt that it belongs TO
that species.
Remarkable though it certainly is to find
this nlabilant OF the Ocean in a fresh wa
ter lake, so far in the INTERIOR yet it is not
without precedcnis \ Seal was killed
here, under very similar Circumstances, in
February, 1910, and two or three others are
known to have been taken on different parts
Of the lake since that period. These ami
mails must have made their way up the S..
, Lawrence and through the Echrleu into
lake Champlain, and not, perhaps, being
aware that the Rcheeu freezes over some
weeks earlier than tie bro-d lake, they con.
tinucd to sport in our waters ill the lake
closed upon them, and ,len they found it too
late to rctrace their way to the ocean through
the St. Lawrence.
) Whle many were standing around gazing
upon the one last taken, and wondering at it,
stupidity in being caught here at this nclem-
ent season, it was eravely coniectured that
the fellow had heard Of cur two ail-ronds to
Boston, and snpposine, from the long and
, loud cIAmor about them, that they mast be
completed. he was making his way to Bur
lngton to take the cars, thinking that to be
the most feasible method Of reaching the At
lautic. The CORRECTNESS, Of this suggestion
, will, probably, never be verified, since the
simple thing had his brains beaten out before
he was iuterroenred with regard to his de.
signs. Oac of the by-s,andcrs surmisqJ ;ha
+, as the former seal made its appearance jus
before the war of 1872, this, also, may b,
the iorerunner Of another Rupture viii
Great Britain; to which another added, that
ii'lhe fate o. the other pr,isurad that Of the
enemy at Pittsburgh, he trusted the fate o