A STORY OF A SEAL.
"The seal is an amphibious quadruped."
"Oh, come now, Aunt Emily, do not puzzle us with your hard names," cries Johnny.
"But, Johnny, a lad seven years old ought to know that amphibious means 'capable of living on land or water;' and that quadruped means 'having four feet.'"
"Oh, now I understand," said Johnny. "But does the seal have feet?"
"It has a sort of feet; but they are so wrapped up in the skin, that they are not of much use on land, except to help it to creep, after a fashion. So the seal passes most of its time in the sea, coming on shore only to bask and sleep in the sun, or to suckle its young ones. It is covered with a close thick fur and is a very good swimmer."
"But let us have the story," said Jane.
"The story is this: once a fisherman, after harpooning an old seal, found one of its young ones on the sand, and took it home. Here it became the playmate of the children, whom it seemed to love very much. They named it Blue-eyes. It would play with them from morning till night, would lick their hands, and call them with a gentle little cry, not unlike the human voice in its tone.