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sheet of ice several miles in length and breadth.
The first duty of a seal Is
ice-boring. A small hole 1s clawed in the ice, then the claw Is planted firmly
I
in the hole, and the body revolved round on the hind flippers. The hole permits
the seal to come up close to the young wbitec08.t and suckle it.
The old sea.Ia fish all day, and return to the ice in the evening_then the
little ones are crying, very much like the human infant, for the old seal.
Imagine
an anxious mother, after a hard day's fishing, first finding the leo, which
may have drifted miles since the morning, and then collecting ber own particular
hole out of 200 ,000.
It very rarely beppena that fish or f ood of any doscript-
Ion is Been on the ice, 88 the old seals consume everything under vater.
The
yaung harp 'Weighs seven to nine pounds and eeasur-ee about two feet, two feet six
inches . The hair is 'IoI001y. It remains for about twelve or fourteen deya in the
same position 8S 'When it vas born.
It increases in weight about one and a half
to three pounds a day, depending on the veat.ber-,
If it is a fine mild season they
gr-cv 810\111'1 but if it is a cold stormy bitter \linter, with plenty of slob and snow,
=.:--change's-;-to~.\f..~t-:vith~vy:rafn;:zh:i!tin:g=a!:::.the:N.W. -;~with-.frO:! ~ and ..l :tM..., .i t
gr-ove rapidly.
Eats Lots) It likes encv and eats great quantities of it when it is about
~=- -of- Snow-;- )~~' c "'7~_-_' ~_-~~~~__ ~ _ _~ '_ '_" __ "
- - . -I~ : . .. ..-~; : ~t Wen ty_!'1ve or""twehty-sevell "days ·ol d ":::"t ne pelt or .skin 'f at , vel gh3 t'rOl:l"""" C ~_ :::: .;:.-.--"
f"orty-five to sixty pounds . It then learns to swim, takes to the water, changes
its coat to pearl gray vith brown spots. The mother then appears to forsake it.
The young seal immediately eteeee North West for the land, resting on pans of
ice and foolishly sleeping in the sun .
As Boon 8S they reach dnehor-e and obtain
food they ste12 the current for Baffin I s Bay, vher-e they reach the end of Mayor the
f"irst week of June . All the seals ride on the ice about the end of February or
early in the month or Horch .
The old sealing masters BBy that February 28th. is