FOOD HUNTING AND PRODUCTS. 741 



the hood, the inflatable "hood" of the male affording no small 

 degree of protection from the effects of the club, or even the 

 ordinary heavy seal-shot. Mr. Carroll says that no matter 

 how large the gun, or how heavy the shot you fire at him, you 

 will not kill him, even if within the length of the gun, unless 

 he rises in the water so that you shoot him in the throat, or he 

 turns the side of his head toward you. 



The Hooded Seal is described as very active when in the 

 water. It swims very low, with only the top of the head above 

 the surface. During the rutting season the males wage fierce 

 battles for the possession of the females, the noise of which 

 may be heard miles away. At times the sexes are said to live 

 apart, but associate in families during the breeding season. 

 Their affection for each other, and especially for their young, is 

 represented as very strong, both parents remaining by them 

 with such persistency that the whole family are easily killed. 

 It often happens, says Carroll, that if the female or young one 

 be killed the male will mount the ice and take the dead one in 

 his mouth and bring it into the water, in which act he is very 

 often himself killed. The female is reported to be far less 

 fierce than the male, but even she will allow herself to be killed 

 before she will abandon her young one. Jukes represents the 

 young of this species which he had on shipboard as tamer and 

 more gentle than the young of the Harp Seal, and that when 

 teased it did not offer to scratch and bite so much as did the 

 young Harps. 



FOOD. The food of this species doubtless consists chiefly of 

 fishes of different species. Malmgren supposed it to subsist 

 mainly on those of large size. That it also feeds upon squids, 

 and probably on other mollusks, is evinced by their remains 

 having been found in their stomachs, as well as " the beaks of 

 large cuttle fish."* 



HUNTING AND PRODUCTS. This species, owing to its scar- 

 city, is of relatively small commercial importance, yet mauy 

 are taken every year by the Newfoundland and Jan Mayen 

 sealers ; generally no separate estimates, however, are given 

 of the number taken. Dr. Kink states that the average annual 

 catch in Greenland is 3,000. The flesh is greatly esteemed by 

 the Greenlanders. 



The Hooded Seal is usually taken on the ice, but Mr. Reeks 

 states that many are also shot in the spring of the year by the 



* Jukes, Excurs. in Newfoundland, vol. i, p. 312. 



