Amador weekly ledger., 1857-10-31
TO BE CONTINUED
The Habits of the Seal.
A SINGULAR STORY.


A SINGULAR STORY.
The seal is endowed with remarkably
powerful brain Development and is gifted
with an amount of sagacity which entities
him to take high rank even among domestic
animals He is easily tanned, and cvinces a
degree Of attachment in domcsticaton, sec
ond only to mans most faithful friend, the
dog. This is noticed by PIiny and Cuvier
describes one displaying much intelligence,
and performing many tricks Thus when de-
sired to raise himself on his extremity. and
to take a staff between his hippers, like a
sentinel he obeyed the word of command !;
he would also lie down on his right side or
on his left, as directed or tumble head over
heels. He gave flipper as dog gives paw,
and protruded his lips for a kiss This at
tachment to their masters, and particularly to
those who are in the habit of feeding them
may have been observed by the pleasing in
stance of the late seal in the Regents Park
geological Gardens, which, as many Of our
readers may have remarked evinced re-
markabe degree of activity and sense when
the keeper was in sight. But probably the
most convincing, as certainly the most affect
ing story Of the domestic nature and attach
ment of the Phuco rituliGa, or common seal
is the following story, which is well authen-
ticated -" 4 young seal was domesticated
IN the house of farmer near the sen shore
in Ireland. 1t grew apace its habits were
innocent and gcutle it played with the chill
dreu, was familiar with servants and attach
ed to the house and family In summer its
delight was to bask in the sun in winter, to
lie before the fire (; or, if permitted, to creep
into large oven--thc common appendage
to an Irish kitchen. A particular disease at
tackled the black cattle, many of which died
An old bag persuaded the credulons owner
that the mortality among the cattle. was ow-
ing to his retaining about his house an I'M
clean beast-thc harmless and amusing seal
and that it should be got rid of The sn-
persticious man caused the poor creature to
he carried in n boat beyond Glare Island, and
thrown into the sea The next morning the
seal was found quietly sleeping in the oven
He had crcpt through an open window and
taken possession of his favorte retreat. The
cattle continued to die; the Seal was again
committed to the deep at greater distance
On the second evening the servant was rak-
lug the kitchen fire. she heard scratching
at the door ; she opened it, and in came the
seal 1t uttered peculiar cry expressive of
delight, at finding itself once more at home;
aad, stretching itself on the hearth, fell into
a sound steep. The hag was again consulted
She said it would be unlucky to kill the ami
nal, but advised that its eyes should be put
out and then thrown iuto the sea Tie de-
lu'led wretch listened to the barbarous sug-
geStion, aud the innocent creature was de-
prved of its sight; and Il third time, writh-
ing in agony, was carried beyond Clare Is
land, and thrown into the sea On the eighth
night after the harmless seal had been deyo-
ted to the Atlantic, it blew a tremendous
gale In pauSeS of the storm a wailng noise
was at times family heard at the door which
the servant concluded to be the Jansdee the
harbingerof death in family) The next
morning, when the door was opened the seal
was found lying dead upon the threshold. -
lVeld's VucatI0Rs IN IreLand
The following is said to be recorded in an
Irish graveyard:
Here lies the body Of John Mound,
Lost at sea and never found.'
1t has been satisfactorily ascertaiued that
ducks enter the water for dircrs reasons, and
come out again for saa.drg purposes
Mrs. Partlnglou SAYS the best anecdote for
pzen is not to touch the pesky stuff
Il is better to love person you cannot
marry, than to marry a person You cannot
love. This is a short text for q long sermon.
Tom, why are telegraph operators like
theyes2 Because they talk "hash.r
A man can take out his glass eve, and still
see as we'll as ever Thi- teaches US content
mcnt with our lot
Neither men nor women can become what
they were intended to be by earpeting their
progress with velvet Real strength is test
ed by difficulties