SEAL It is planted in rows, four to six feet apart. It sends its tap-root very deep into the ground. a cross between the heads of St Peter and St Paul, while the papal privy seal, impressed not on lead but on wax, known as the Seal of the Fisherman, represented St Peter fishing. In the 9th and 10th centuries we find Charlemagne, the Byzantine emperors, and the Venetian doges, occasionally sealing with gold, and we have an instance as late as the 16th c. of a gold seal appended to the treaty of the Field of the Cloth of Gold, between Henry VIIL and Francis L. SEAL (Lat. sigillum, Fr. sceau), an impression on wax or other soft substance made from a die or matrix of metal, a gem, or some other material. The stamp which yields the impression is sometimes itself called the seal. In Egypt, seals were in use at an early period, the matrix generally forming part of a ring (see GEM, RING). Devices of a variety of sorts were in use at Rome, both by the earlier emperors and private individuals. The emperors, after the time of Constantine, introduced bulle or leaden seals, and their use was continued after the fall of the Western Empire by the popes, who attached them to documents by cords or bands. On the earlier papal seals are monograms of the pope; afterwards the great seal contained the name of the pope in full, and ATHOT Seals were not much used in England in AngloSaxon times, but they came into general use after the Norman Conquest. On the royal great seals was the king in armour on a caparisoned horse galloping, his arms being shewn on his shield after the period when arms came into use; and the reverse represented the king seated on a throne. The great seals of Scotland begin with Duncan IL Great Seal of William the Conqueror. in the end of the 11th c., and have also for subject the king on horseback; the counterseal, with the scated figure, being used first by Alexander I., and the earliest appearance of the arms of Scotland being on the seal of Alexander II. In both countries there were also the privy seals with the royal arms only. Ecclesiastical seals first appear in the 9th c., and attained great beauty in the 13th and 14th. They are of the pointed oval form known as Vesica piscis; and have for subjects, a figure of the bishop, sometimes of the Trinity, the Virgin, or a patron saint, seated under an elaborate architectural canopy. The arms of the bishop are often added. practice of sealing has degenerated into a mere formality. The custom was gradually introduced of covering the wax with white paper, on which the impression was made, and latterly wafers have been considered a sufficient substitute for seals. In Scotland, every freeholder was obliged by statutes of Robert III. and James I. to have his seal of arms, an impression of which was kept in the office of the clerk of court of the shire; and among the Scottish armorial seals of the 14th and 15th centuries are some of wonderful beauty of execution. Act 1540, c. 117, for the first time made subscription an essential formality to deeds; but sealing still continued to be necessary till 1584, when it was dispensed with in the case of deeds containing a clause of registration, and soon afterwards the practice was altogether laid aside. Under the Norman monarchs of England, sealing became a legal formality, necessary to the authentication of a deed; and from the 13th c. onwards, the seals of all persons of noble or gentle birth The use of corporate seals by towns and boroughs represented their armorial ensigns. The seal was dates as far back as the 12th century. The earlier generally appended to the document by passing corporate seals bear the town gates, city walls, or a strip of parchment or a cord through a slit in some similar device; the use of corporate arms its lower edge; and the ends being held together, the did not begin till the latter half of the 14th wax was pressed or moulded round them a short century. distance from the extremity, and the matrix im- The principal use of seals in the present day is in pressed on it. Occasionally the seal was not pendant, closing letters, and even for this purpose they have but the wax was spread on the deed. The coloured of late years been less used than formerly, owing to wax with the impression was sometimes imbedded the fashion of using stamped adhesive envelopes. in a mass of white wax forming a protective border The study of medieval seals is of great importto it. In England, a seal is still an essential to all ance and interest in connection with many branches legal instruments by which real estate is conveyed; of archæology, including heraldic and genealogical but since subscription has also become necessary, the investigations. See GREAT SEAL; PRIVY SEAL SEAL. SEAL (Phoca), a Linnæan genus of Mammalia, an outer covering. Another adaptation to aquatic now forming the family Phocide, and including all life and cold climates appears in a layer of fat that family except the Morse (q. v.), or Walrus. immediately under the skin-from which Seal Oil The name S. is from the Anglo-Saxon Seol. The is obtained-serving not only for support when food Phocida constitute, in Cuvier's system, a section is scarce, but for protection from cold, and at the of Carnivora (q. v.) designated Amphibia. Their same time rendering the whole body lighter. The Skeleton of Seal, with outline of the figure. structure is most perfectly adapted to an aquatic life, and they live chiefly in water, but spend part of their time on shore, reposing and basking in the sunshine on rocks, sand-banks, icefields, or beaches; and they bring forth their young on shore. The body is elongated, and tapers from the chest to the tail; the head somewhat resembles that of a dog, and in most of the species the brain is large; the feet are short, and little more than the paw projects beyond the skin of the body; all the feet are thoroughly webbed, and five-toed; the fore-feet are placed like those of other quadrupeds; but the hind-feet are directed backwards, like a prolongation of the body, and between them is a short tail. The toes, particularly those of the hind-feet, are capable of being spread out very widely in swimming, so as to give great propulsive power. The movements of seals in the water are very rapid and graceful; on land, they are very peculiar; even the fore-feet being little used or not at all, but the body contracted by an upward bending of the spine, and so thrown forward by a succession of jerks; in which way, however, a S. makes its escape very rapidly from an assailant. The flexibility of the spine in seals is very remarkable, and depends on the very large intervertebral cartilages, formed of fibrous concentric rings. The muscles, which are connected with the spine on all sides, are of great strength. The teeth differ considerably in the different genera, but in all are adapted for the seizure of slippery prey, the chief food of seals being fishes, although they do not reject other animal food, and are said even to feed in part on vegetable substances. Their incisors are either six in the upper jaw and four in the lower, or four in the upper and two in the lower; they all have large and strong canine teeth; and the molars, usually five or six on each side in each jaw, are either sharp-edged or conical, and beset with points. Seals have a remarkable habit of swallowing large stones, for which no probable reason has yet been conjectured. Their stomachs are very often found to be in part filled with stones. The stomach is quite simple; the gullet (aesophagus) enters it at the left extremity; the cœcum is short, the intestinal canal long. The respiration of seals is extremely slow, about two minutes intervening between one breath and another, when the animal is on land and in full activity. A S. has been known to remain twentyfive minutes under water. Their slowness of respiration, and power of suspending it for a considerable time, are of great use, as enabling them to pursue their prey under water. The fur of seals is very smooth, and abundantly lubricated with an oily secretion. There is generally an inner coating of rich fur, through which grow long hairs, forming nostrils are capable of being readily and completely closed, and are so whilst the S. is under water; and there is a similar provision for the ears; whilst the eye, which is large, exhibits remarkable peculiarities, supposed to be intended for its adaptation to use both in air and water. The face is provided with strong whiskers, connected at their base with large nerves. Seals produce their young only once a year; sometimes one, sometimes two, at a birth. Not long after their birth, the young are conducted by the mother into the sea. Many, if not all, of the species are polygamous. Terrible fights occur among the males. Seals are very much on their guard against the approach of man, where they have been much no molestation, they are far from being shy, and molested; but where they have been subjected to approach very close to boats, or to men on shore, as if animated by curiosity. They are much affected by musical sounds. A flute is said to attract seals to a boat, where they have not learned caution from sore experience; and the ringing of the church bell at Hoy, in Orkney, has very often caused the Seals possess all the five senses in great perfection. appearance of numerous seals in the little bay. The Common S. and some of the other species are very intelligent; but there is considerable difference in this respect among the species. The Common S. and some others have often been tamed, and are capable of living long in domestication, if freely supplied with water. They become very familiar with those who attend to them, are very fond of caresses and of notice, recognise their name like dogs, and readily learn many little tricks, of which advantage has been taken for exhibitions. Seals are found in all the colder parts of the world, most abundantly in the arctic and antarctic regions; some of them also in temperate climates, as far south as the Mediterranean, and as far north as the La Plata. Some of them ascend rivers to some distance in pursuit of salmon and other fish. They are found in the Caspian Sea, and even in the freshwater Lake Baikal. The species are numerous, but in no group of Mammalia does more remain for further investigation. Seals are divided into two principal groupsSeals, more strictly so called, and Otaries (q. v.); the former distinguished by the complete want of external ears, which the latter possess, and by their dentition. The true seals have been further subdivided into genera, chiefly characterised by their dentition. In the restricted genus Phoca, or Calocephalus, the incisors are pointed and sharp-edged, six above and four below. The Common S. (Phoca vitulina) is found in the northern parts of the Atlantic Ocean, and in the Arctic Ocean. It is common on the wilder and more unfrequented parts of the British coast, particularly in the north. It is remarkably distinguished, even among its nearest congeners, by the oblique position of the molar teeth. The fur is yellowish, variously spotted, and marked with brown. The whole length is from 3 to 5 feet. Its love of salmon is so great that it has been known to haunt the neighbourhood of a salmon-net for a long time, and to take the fish after they were entrapped in it. The Common S. is generally seen in small herds. Its skin and oil are of considerable mercantile importance. The skin is dressed with the fur on, to make caps, &c., or is SEALING-WAX-SEAL OF CONFESSION. tanned and used as leather. The oil, when made (Leptonyx Weddellii), so called from its spotted fur. before decay has begun, is colourless and nearly inodorous; it is much superior to whale-oil. The flesh is much used for food in very northern countries, as is that of all the other species which they produce. It is not easy to shoot a seal. Whilst flint-locks were in use, the S. always dived so quickly on seeing the flash as generally to escape the ball. The popular name SEA-CALF, and the specific name vitulina, have reference to a supposed resemblance of the voice to that of a calf.-The HARP S. (P. Grænlandica) receives its popular Harp Seal (Phoca Grænlandica), attitude on land. name from a large, black, crescent-shaped mark on each side of the back. It is sometimes seen on the British coasts, but belongs chiefly to more northern regions. It is from 6 to 8 or even 9 feet in length. The GREAT S., or BEARDED S. (P. barbata), also found on the British coasts, and plentiful on the coasts of Greenland, is generally about 9 or 10 feet long, sometimes more.-The ROUGH or BRISTLED S. P. hispida) frequents quiet bays on the coasts of Greenland, where many thousands are annually killed for their skins and oil. It is the smallest of the northern species.-The GRAY S. (Halichoerus griseus), which has a very flat head, and attains a Common Seal (P. vitulina), attitude when swimming. size nearly equal to the Great S., occurs on the British coasts, but is much more common in more northern latitudes, and in the Baltic Sea. The CRESTED S. (Stemmatopus cristatus) is remarkable for the elevation of the septum of the nose of the adult male into a crest, which supports a hood covering the head, and capable of being distended and elevated or depressed at pleasure. The use of this appendage is not known. This S. is plentiful on the coasts of Greenland and the northern parts of North America.-The seals of the southern seas are quite distinct from those of the northern. One of them is the SEA LEOPARD, or LEOPARD S. It is found on the South Orkneys and other very southern islands. By far the largest of all the seals is the ELEPHANT S. or Sea Elephant of the southern seas. See ELEPHANT, SEA. Seals are to some extent migratory, although their migrations do not extend to very great distances, and are probably regulated by the abundance or scarcity of food. The time of the return of certain species to certain coasts is very confidently reckoned upon by the natives of the north and by sealhunters. Seal-hunting-or fishing, as it is often calledrequires great patience and skill. Most of the seals, if not all, are gregarious, and one seems to be always placed on the watch, where danger is to be apprehended from bears or from hunters. They climb up through holes in the ice-fields of the polar seas, even when there is a height of several feet from the water, but it is difficult for the hunter to get between them and the hole. Nor is seal-hunting unattended with danger, an enraged S. being a formidable antagonist, at least to the inexperienced. Seal-hunting is the great occupation of the Greenlanders, but it is also extensively prosecuted in other northern parts of the world; great numbers are taken on the coasts of Newfoundland and other northern parts of America; whale-fishers kill seals as they find opportunity; and vessels are fitted out expressly for the purpose, from the northern parts of Europe and of America. SEALING-WAX. A composition of hard resinous materials used for receiving and retaining the impressions of seals. Simple as it may appear, its manufacture is one of great importance, and formerly was far more so than at present-the use of gummed envelopes having to a great extent superseded it. Common beeswax was first used in Great Britain and in Europe generally, being mixed with earthy materials to give it consistency. less, it was difficult to preserve it, as a very small amount of heat softened it. Neverthe The Venetians, however, brought the Indian sealing-wax to Europe, and the Spaniards received it from the Venetians, and made it a very important branch of their commerce. The great value of the Indian wax consisted in the fact that it was made only of shell-lac, covered with vermilion or some other pigment, and this has been found superior to all other materials. In addition to the shell-lac and colouring material, there is always added to the wax made in Europe a portion of Venetian turpentine (see TURPENTINE), and of resin. SEA-LION. See OTARY. SEA-LION, in Heraldry, a monster consisting of the upper part of a lion combined with the tail of a fish. SEAL ISLANDS, or LOBOS ISLANDS. See PERU. SEALKOTE, a town in the Punjab, near the left bank of the Chenab, 65 miles north-north-east from Lahore. It contains about 20,000 inhabitants, and carries on the manufacture of paper. S. was formerly a military station, and at the period of the outbreak of the Indian mutiny, there was a riflepractice dépôt here. All the European troops had been removed in July 1857 to repress disturbances that had broken out elsewhere, and on the 9th of that month the native troops fired on their officers. A considerable number of Europeans were killed, and the survivors suffered great privations until the sepoys, having plundered the station, started off in the direction of Delhi. SEAL OF CONFESSION. and CONFIDENTIALITY. See CONFESSION 585 |